Living the Life of a Normal 12yearold
by roankun
Summary: There's no antidote for APTX 4869. Conan has to tell Ran that he won't come back anymore and finally realizes his feelings for Haibara. But Mitsuhiko gets bolder and Ayumi gets jealous. What's gonna happen now? Conan x Ai fic. -COMPLETE-
1. I'm Afraid I Have Some Bad News

**This is my first fanfic so please be nice, everyone…**

In this story, Haibara calls everybody by their last name except Ayumi and everybody calls her Haibara(-san) except Ayumi (Ai-chan), Ran (Ai-chan) and Hakase (Ai-kun).

~~~~**CHAPTER 1: I'M AFRAID I HAVE SOME BAD NEWS**~~~~

"Kudo-kun, I'm afraid I have some bad news…"

Startled at her sudden announcement, Edogawa Conan looked up from the PacMan game he was practicing and ran right into the enemy. Glaring at the screen like it was at fault, he sighed and put down the controller. "What is it, Haibara?"

She chewed her lip for a second before staring at his deep blue eyes. She sighed and said "Kudo-kun, I've been looking for a cure for APTX 4869 for 5 years now and I hit a dead end in my research… I hate to tell you this, since creating the antidote is probably the only reason you've kept me alive but…"

"Oi, Haibara, you can't possibly mean…" he trailed off.

"That's right Kudo-kun. There's no permanent antidote for APTX 4869. You can still use the temporary antidote but the more you use it, the more immune to it you become… I did my best," she smiled with what seemed like self-pity, "but unfortunately, my best just wasn't good enough…"

Conan ran to Haibara and started shaking her shoulders. "You can't mean that Haibara! There must be some way! Some way to get back my original form!"

"I'm sorry, Kudo-kun…"

"NO! No, you're not! If you were, you'd have the antidote by now!"

She looked at him and her usual ice-cold stare softened, "Kudo-kun, it's the truth. You always say 'shinjitsu wa itsumo hitotsu' (there is only one truth) and you have to accept this truth…"

"NO! NO! You're lying! You just don't want me to get back to Ran!"

Her eyebrows went up at that statement and she smirked, the gentleness in her eyes disappearing, "Don't flatter yourself, Kudo-kun."

Conan glared at her but seeing her aquamarine eyes, he turned away. He ran outside and slammed the door. "Dammit…"he muttered.

Thunder suddenly roared and all of a sudden rain poured, wetting the small detective. "The weather and I seem to be in sync today," he said while smiling bitterly.

Suddenly, the rain around him stopped, making him look up. There was an umbrella, shielding him from the pouring rain. He stared in surprise at the person who was holding the umbrella. "I wouldn't want you getting sick now, tantei-kun." The small scientist said, smiling gently.

He broke down, hugging Haibara as if she was the only lifeline keeping him in the world. She let go of the umbrella, letting the rain hide the tears of the small detective and put her arms around him. "Dammit, Haibara… Dammit."

The two stood there in silence, getting comfort from each other. After a while, Conan pulled away and stared at the ground, as if afraid to look in her eyes. "Thanks Haibara. And sorry, about what I said before."

"Don't mind it, Kudo-kun. If you do, I'll give you Hell as punishment." she said, smiling. "Let's go inside, I don't want to catch a cold because of you."

"Ne, Haibara," Conan said as they walked towards the house, "Is it okay if I stay the night?"

"I'm sure Hakase won't mind. But you better call Mouri-san. She might be worried about you."

"Yeah, I'll do that."

~~~~THE NEXT DAY~~~~

"Oi, Haibara," said Conan as they he picked on his food.

"What is it Kudo-kun? And eat your food. Hakase put a lot of effort just to make breakfast."

"I know that, but I don't want to die yet… Anyway, ummm…"

"Spit it out, Kudo-kun."

"What? The food or what I want to say?"

She glared at him.

"Just kidding. Ummm… What I wanted to say is… Can I have the temporary antidote? The thing is…"

"You want to be yourself when you tell her you won't be coming back?"

"Yeah… Something like that…"

She sighed, "When you finish, follow me to the lab. And bring some of your clothes."

His face brightened. "Thanks Haibara!"

~~~~IN THE LAB~~~~

He peeked into the lab, opening the door just a little bit. He saw Haibara staring at the computer, her back to him. He debated inside his head whether to barge in or announce his entrance.

"Come in Kudo-kun."

He jumped, startled that she knew he was there. "How did you…?"

"I was trained by the Organization Kudo. I could feel your presence."

"I-is th-that so…" he said while carefully walking inside.

"What's the matter Kudo? Scared?" she asked with a smirk.

"NO!" then blushed, embarrassed at his outburst. "It's just… I don't really know what to say to Ran…"

"Awww… Poor Kudo. Just like a lost little kitten…"

'"Shut up!"

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me, Kudo." She sighed and then said, "It doesn't really matter what you say to her. Just tell her what's in your heart. That'll probably be enough…"

Conan looked up, surprised at her revelation. "Yeah, I guess so…"

"So, you ready?"

He nodded, afraid that words might fail him.

"Take this. It's a different antidote. But from what I can tell, it'll only turn you back into your real form for about 12 hours. Be sure to come back before 11 hours pass. And… to use the antidote anymore will endanger your body. I suggest that this is the last time you revert back."

He took the antidote and entered the toilet. (this means he entered the CR okay? I don't mean he entered the toilet bowl if that's what you're thinking)

He swallowed the antidote and moments after, started feeling the burning sensation. _My bones… feel like… they're melting…_ "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Haibara, hearing him scream said to herself, "That's why I don't like using the antidote."

Ten minutes later, the door opened and out came Shinichi Kudo. She observed him for a few seconds and said "It's 11 o'clock right now Kudo. Be sure to come back before 10. I don't want to risk any chances of her finding out your true identity."

Shinichi just smiled at her and said, "Thanks Haibara, for everything."

"Baka. If you say stuff like that it's like you're never coming back."

"Haha, I guess you're right. I'll borrow the phone. I want to call Ran and tell her to meet me." And with that he rushed out of the laboratory, leaving the little scientist behind.

"Baka…"

~~~~**CHAPTER 1: I'M AFRAID I HAVE SOME BAD NEWS end**~~~~

So? What do you think everyone? Read and review please… pretty please… pretty please with a cherry on top…

Haha. I wrote this while listening to Haibara's voice. *sigh* even her voice is heavenly.

Actually this story is supposed to be Conan x Ai x Mitsuhiko. Haha. I'll save that for later. Be nice to me everyone ^_^.


	2. Rejected Before He Could Confess

In this chapter when the words are _italicized_ that means those are Shinichi's thoughts. When it's underlined, those are Haibara's thoughts. That is, unless it's in between " " which means those words are just being stressed.

Haha, the title says it all.

OMG! I forgot the **disclaimer**! I don't own DC! Let's all pretend you saw this in the first one!

~~~~**CHAPTER 2: REJECTED BEFORE HE COULD CONFESS**~~~~

"So Ran, do you have any plans today?"

"Shinichi? Is that you Shinichi?"

"Yeah, it's me, Ran. Have you forgotten my voice already? Haha. Anyway, do you have plans today?"

"What for Shinichi? Gonna ask me out on a date?" Ran asked while laughing.

"Huh? That's not it, baka! …Well… maybe it is… Wanna go out with me today? Like a movie then dinner..?"

"…*silence*…"

"Ran? Oi, Ran? Still there?"

"Yeah, Shinichi, I'm still here. I'm free today."

"Great! Then meet me in front of the theater at say… 2:45? The movie starts at 3."

"Okay. See you then…"

Shinichi puts down the phone and yells out loud. "YEAHHH!!!"

"I didn't know it was shout-your-lungs-out day today."

Shinichi turns to the speaker and grins. "Oh, hey Haibara. You're not gonna ruin my good mood."

Haibara looks at him curiously and says, "Kudo-kun, you do realize what this _date _is for, don't you?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"For a famous high school detective, you sure are dim-witted. Kudo-kun, I allowed you to return to your original body for today to **say goodbye to Ran**," she said, stressing the last few syllables.

The high school detective suddenly slumped, like a deflated balloon. "Oh… yeah… That's right… I'm supposed to tell Ran that I'm never coming back…"

She raised her eyebrows at his slumped figure, smirked, and walked away, only pausing to say these words, "Good luck on your date, _tantei-san_."

Haibara left, leaving him alone to deal with his confused feelings. After a moment of pondering he shouted on in frustration, "AAARRGGHH! Damn that Haibara! *sigh* But she's right… Okay, okay, calm down, calm down. *deep breath* This is what I'll do. I'll have fun, that's right. I'll have fun and I'll just drop the bomb when we're about part. Right, that's right. That's what I'll do."

"Yosh! Now I have to get ready. Hmmm… I don't have any clothes here… I better go back to my house…"

~~~~2:45 PM IN FRONT OF THE MOVIE THEATER~~~~

Shinichi arrived at :45 on the dot and looked around. Seeing the ever-familiar face of his childhood friend, he ran over to her with a smile plastered on his face. "Yo! Ran!"

Ran heard and looked at the owner of the voice who called out to her. "Shinichi! Where have you been? You left 5 years ago and only call every now and then! Then you suddenly show yourself for a few hours and suddenly disappear again! And now, all of a sudden you give me a call and tell me to meet you at the movies! Mou, Shinichi!"

"Chill, Ran. Chill. Anyway, since this is a special let's just have fun for now, okay?"

"…Okay… but later on, you have to tell me, okay, Shinichi?"

"Hai hai, o-hime-sama! *laugh*"

"Mou, Shinichi!!"

"Anyway, come on. We don't want to run out of tickets."

A/N: I'll skip their date and just go to the confession part, okay? I'm not really a big supporter of ShinichiXRan. Heck, i dont support them at all...

~~~~8:00 PM ITALIAN RESTAURANT ~~~~

"So Shinichi, what's up?"

"What's up? Well, there's the ceiling… the lights… the roof…"

"Stop kidding around deduction freak! You know what I mean. It's not like you to just, out of nowhere, have a-a d-d-date with m-me." She said, blushing. Then she shook her head as if clearing her thoughts. "Something must be wrong."

He was about to crack another joke but seeing the serious look in her face he decided. _Cut the crap. I better tell her now._ He cleared his throat and said, "The thing is… Ran… I… I won't be coming back… This… This is the last time we'll be seeing each other… But Ran I want you to know that I lo-" He looked at her eyes and was startled that no surprise was registered there. "Ran…?"

"I knew it, Shinichi. Somehow, I felt it. That you weren't coming back… I mean, it's already been 5 years. To wait for you any longer, that would seem like I was in love with you, right?" she said, smiling while tears pooled at her eyes.

"Ran…"

"Shinichi! You're supposed to laugh. That was a joke."

"Ran… I…"

"Don't you have anything else to say other than 'Ran…' huh, High School Detective of the East? But I guess you're not a high school detective anymore…"

"But Ran, I..."

"I don't want to hear your excuses, Shinichi."

He shut up and they ate the rest of their meal in silence. When they finished, "I'll pay the bill," Shinichi said.

"You better, you are the guy after all…" Ran smiled bitterly.

"So… Ran, want me to walk you home..?"

"No, it's okay, Shinichi. I'm not the 17-year-old Ran Mouri you left behind 5 years ago… I've already moved on…" with that she turned around and walked away, leaving the detective behind.

~~~~10 PM AGASA-HAKASE'S HOUSE ~~~~

Shinichi walked inside the house, silently hoping that no one would see him.

"So, how did it work out?" her words pierced the silence and made Shinichi curse to himself.

She smirked and said, "If it makes you say that much then I suppose it didn't work out at all?"

"Dammit, Haibara, just shut up for once, will you?" as he sat down on the couch.

"Ara, just the other day you told it would be better if I spoke more often. I'm just listening to your advice, tantei-kun."

"Dammit, Haibara! You're not helping!"

"I'm not trying to, Kudo-kun. Here.

Shinichi then looked up at his verbal sparring partner and saw that she was holding 2 cups of tea. Surprised, he gave her a questioning look. "Haibara?"

"You don't have to take it if you don't want to."

"No, I will." He said, taking the cup from her hands.

"So? Care to tell me what happened?" sitting down beside him.

"Haibara…" he said then looked up. Seeing her sincere eyes, he decided that he will tell her after all. _I might as well lift this load off my shoulders_.

"Ran… she… she said that, she expected it… me not coming back… And that… she already moved on… Haibara… I know that this is probably a stupid question but… Was I wrong… to think that… she actually loved me in the first place? That she would have waited for me… no matter how long it would take?"

"…*silence*..."

"Haibara…?"

"Saa… I don't think it was wrong of you to think that she loved you. She confessed to you, remember? On the first night you met her as Conan. And also that time when she was piloting the airplane. She told you she loved you so it's not wrong to think that she does…"

"Oi, Haibara! How do you know this stuff!?" Shinichi was surprised at the scientist's words. _I never told her… Why does she know? **How** does she know?_

"I told you time and again, Kudo-kun. I was trained by the organization. I have my ways to get information," she said with a smirk.

"Well, if you can get this_ information_, then why can't you make an antidote!?"

"This and that are two different things, Kudo-kun."

"Then why don't you **make** them the same thing!?" he shouted. He was about to say more when he realized that he was being too harsh with her. "Listen Haibara… I'm sorry… You were saying…?"

A smile tugged at her lips and she said, " Kudo-kun. If I were anybody else, I would throw this cup at you and leave you staring at my back."

"Then I'm glad you aren't anybody else."

"You sure have a way with words, tantei-kun. As I was saying, it wasn't wrong of you to think that she loved you. She did. Still does, if I'm not mistaken. However, 5 years is a long time. It's not unexpected for her to give up on waiting for you…" _This is the first time she actually gave me a straight answer… The first time she actually took me_ _seriously…_ "Anyway, isn't it a good thing that she moved on? Now you won't have to worry about breaking her heart. Chotto, Kudo-kun? Are you listening?"

Shinichi snapped out of his reverie and came to attention. "Huh? Oh, yeah I am."

She stared at him skeptically.

"Seriously, I am listening. You were saying stuff like-"

That's when it started. That bone-melting, burning-hot feeling they have when they change forms. "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"

~~~~A FEW MINUTES LATER~CONAN'S POV ~~~~

"Kudo-kun? Kudo-kun!"

I heard a distant voice, calling out to me. I tried opening my eyes and saw the ever-familiar reddish-brown hair, aquamarine eyes. "Haibara?" I managed to groggily say.

"You're finally awake Kudo-kun. You've been out for 10 minutes. Could you get up and change out of those clothes?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah right." I wasn't really sure what was happening. Just that the clothes I had on were very loose. I decided that the best course of action was to follow her orders. I got changed in another room. When I got back, I saw that she had finished her tea.

"Take a seat, Kudo-kun."

I did and took a sip from my cup. "Oi, Haibara what hap-" Then I remembered. The events that happened, turning back to Shinichi, the rejection… I dropped the cup I was holding and stared dumbly as the tea spread on the floor.

"Seems like you've remembered what happened."

I could only nod as I stared at her clean the mess. When she finished she turned to me and smirked. I was surprised, I didn't expect her to do that. Then she said in a voice that seemed to be meant to ridicule me, "Poor Kudo-kun. Rejected before he could confess."

Anger flared inside me. "Shut up, Haibara!"

"She walked away before you could even get a kiss."

"Dammit Haibara!"

"Maa, might as well make your night worth it."

Then she did something I never thought she would do.

She kissed me. It was a touch and go kiss, my lips barely even touched hers, and the only thing I could think of then was how soft her lips were before she pulled away. Then she flashed that always-there smirk of hers and walked away, only turning back to say, "Oyasuminasai, tantei-kun."

I could only stare at her retreating back, the bad memories of that night long forgotten. Then I touched my lips, the part where she kissed me, and I couldn't help but smile.

~~~~**CHAPTER 2: REJECTED BEFORE HE COULD CONFESS end**~~~~

What do you think? Not bad, right? I'm not very good at describing kisses but I think I did alright this time. I researched on kisses and I found this thread where people were talking about the kinds of kisses. I'll type the kinds of kisses here for your reference haha ^_^

Chaste kiss: you tease your partners lips with your tongue

Butterfly kiss: a light kiss on any part of the body

Hamster kiss (this is the wierdest one): you kiss your partner and blow into their mouth so that their cheeks will inflate

Hope that helped you!

P.S. I kinda liked that last line, you know, the part where it says "I couldn't help but smile" haha.

Read and review please!


	3. If You Say So, Conankun

I'm going crazy. I've been hearing Garnet Crow's voice even in my sleep. I never thought you could have an overdose of "Namida No Yesterday". haha. Thanks for the review, guys. I love ya ^_^

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Detective Conan. If I did, Haibara would be in all the episodes since her first appearance.

~~~~**CHAPTER 3: IF YOU SAY SO, CONAN-KUN**~~~~

BANG!

Conan woke up with a start. He rubbed his eyes, remembered that he stayed over at the Professor's and heard voices in the kitchen.

"Hakase! I thought I told you I'm the one who's gonna cook breakfast."

"Sorry Ai-kun. I just thought that I might surprise you."

"I'd be surprised if I had to eat that-that..._ thing_ you call food."

"That's mean, Ai-kun..."

"Really... I don't know how you possibly survived before I came."

"Well, there is fast food delivery..." the voices trailed off.

Conan smiled to himself and said, "Taku, that Hakase. Making such noise this early in the morning. Thank God it's Sunday. We have enough time to clean up." He got up and dressed. Then he went to the kitchen where Hakase and Haibara were still talking.

"Ohayou." he said while entering.

"Ah, ohayou Shinichi. Breakfast will be ready in a few." said the Professor.

"And Hakase did not help in preparing it." said Haibara as she carried a plate of pancakes to the table.

When he saw Haibara, his face turned 3 shades of pink. (haha, got that from some weird romance novel). "By the way Haibara, about last night..."

"Last night? Oh, you mean when you got rejected?" she asked with the usual smirk on her face.

"No! You know what I mean..."

"I'm afraid I don't Kudo-kun. Care to enlighten me?"

"You know! The..." he trailed off. He was about to say more but he saw the glint in her eyes. He realized that if he continued, he would be played and there's no way he'd say such an embarrassing thing in front of the Professor. "Never mind..."

Seeing that she won, she sat down and started eating.

_That Haibara... I never seem to win against her... And we're not even fighting yet... Sigh... And what's with that smirk of hers? Now that I realize it, it's always a smirk. I don't think I've ever seen her with a real smile._

With a resigned sigh, he joined her at the table and ate.

"By the way, Shinichi. Ran called a while ago. She was asking when you'd come home." said the Professor.

_Oh yeah, Ran_. _What should I do about her...?_

"Ne, Hakase, is it okay if I stay here?"

His question was met with Haibara's eyebrows rising and Hakase's eyes widening.

"What's wrong Shinichi? Don't you want to stay at the Detective Agency anymore?"

"It's not that. Ran's mother is moving back. I just feel like I'm being a burden to them."

"Ara, Kudo-kun, and you don't feel like a burden to us?" asked Haibara.

"It's not like that, Haibara. It's just that... Her mom's cooking sucks and I don't want to suffer like that anymore. Besides... I might remind Ran too much of... me..."

She didn't comment at that and the Professor said, "I don't mind Shinichi. Why don't you call Ran and get your things after breakfast?"

"Thanks, Hakase."

"And take Ai-kun with you."

"I don't see any reason for me to come along."

"Maa, maa... Just in case Shinichi needs help with his things. And I don't want to leave you alone in this house."

"Are you going somewhere Hakase?"

"A friend asked me to take a look at his inventions. I'll be gone the whole day but I'll be back by nightfall."

"Is that so..."

Conan finished his breakfast and announced, "I'm going to call Ran." He went to telephone and dialed the number.

"Moshi moshi. Mouri Detective Agency. My father is out right now so-"

"Ran-neechan. It's me."

"Conan-kun?"

"Yeah. Ummm... Ran-neechan. I'm moving out of your house and I'm gonna live with the Professor."

"What? Conan-kun, why?"

"Well, I don't want to be a bother to you anymore. Anyway I'm gonna come over with Haibara to get my things."

"With Ai-chan, huh... Fine, I'll pack your things so that they're ready by the time you get here."

"Hai. Ja ne, Ran-neechan."

~~~~MOURI DETECTIVE AGENCY~CONAN'S POV~~~~

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Coming!"

Ran opened the door and invited us in with a smile. "Come in Ai-chan, Conan-kun. I have all your things packed in 2 bags. Do you think you can carry them?"

"Daijoubu Ran-neechan. We can handle it."

"Conan-kun..." The sadness in her voice startled me, and I turned to face her. I saw her eyes fill with tears and I felt guilty, guilty that I was leaving her.

_What_ _is wrong with me? It's not like I'm going far away. And besides, she was the one who rejected me._

"Conan-kun, I don't want to say this since it was your decision but..." As she said this she wrapped her arms around me in a hug, "Don't go. Don't leave me alone."

Haibara suddenly entered my mind and I saw that she was watching this scene with interest. I was embarrassed of what she might be thinking.

I pulled away from Ran's hug, looked at her in the eyes and said in my childish voice, "I'm not gonna leave you alone Ran-neechan. Kogoro-ojiisan is here with you. And your mother is moving back too. I'll also visit from time to time."

"Do you promise Conan-kun?"

"I promise."

The tears that filled her eyes suddenly started flowing. "It's just that, I don't want you to go, Conan-kun. You know what? You remind me of Shinichi. And when you said you'll go, it's like Shinichi's leaving me forever. And when Ai-chan came with you, I felt like he replaced with someone else..."

"But Ran-neechan, didn't you-"

"You know what Conan-kun? Shinichi invited me to a date yesterday. I was so happy. But then, he told me he wasn't ever gonna come back and I had this bad feeling in my stomach, but I wasn't surprised. It was like, I waited 5 years just to hear him say that. And I turned him away, Conan-kun. When he tried to say something I cut him off and didn't let him finish. I felt bad about that, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I still feel bad about it, but somehow, when I said it, a weight was lifted off my shoulders..."

I was still staring dumbly at her, surprised at her confession.

"I'm sorry Conan-kun. You probably don't understand a word I'm saying."

_That's when I realized that she did the right thing. To shed me from her past __**was**__ the right thing to do. Because now, she doesn't have to wait for Shinichi Kudo to come back, and that's a good thing, because he'll never come back._

I smiled and stared at Ran's eyes. "Ran-neechan, I understand. You did the right thing."

She seemed surprised but then she smiled, as if she realized that the words were coming from Shinichi himself. "If you say so, Conan-kun. Arigatou."

"Ran-neechan, can you put me down now?" I asked, struggling from her hug.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry Conan-kun."

As she put me down, I met Haibara's gaze. We stared at each other for a while and then she flashed that smirk of hers. Heat rushed to my cheeks and I avoided her gaze. "Let's go, Haibara."

"If you say so, Conan-kun" she said, perfectly mimicking Ran's accent.

~~~~**CHAPTER 3: IF YOU SAY SO, CONAN-KUN end**~~~~

Chapter 3's up. Sigh… I actually finished this the same day as chapter 2. I just wasn't sure if it was good enough… haha…

Anyway, happy reading everyone. Review please. I'm begging you! I'm running out of inspiration here...

More power to Conan x Ai!


	4. She Can't Not be Special

Sigh... Parents are a big pain... They tell me to go to sleep when all I want to do is finish this chapter... Sigh...

**Disclaimer: **I own Detective Conan. In my dreams.

~~~~**CHAPTER 4: SHE CAN'T NOT BE SPECIAL**~~~~

"So that's about it. You get your own bedroom, the one nearest the stairs; the Professor sleeps in the bedroom beside yours; mine is the one beside the Professor's, at the end of the hall. I already helped you unpack so I suppose you don't need me anymore?" Haibara said as she surveyed the room.

I opened my mouth to say yes when I suddenly remembered yesterday's events. Taking advantage of the Professor's absence, I started, "Ne, Haibara..."

"What more do you want Kudo-kun? You've already wasted enough of my time." she said with a hint of irritation.

"About last night..."

At my words the irritation in her eyes turned to amusement and she walked closer to me. "Kudo-kun, it seems like you can't forget about our little... encounter last night. Do you want to continue?"

"What!?"

I turned around to face her and saw that she was mere centimeters away from me. Her hand caressed my face and her other arm went around my neck to pull me closer. She bit my ear, and I couldn't help but gasp in surprise. She then removed my glasses, throwing it carefully on the bed and started inching face closer to mine. When I was sure that she would kiss me, she suddenly pulled back, flashed that infamous smirk of hers and said, "Well, what do you know... It seems the famous High School Detective of East's weak point is women."

She walked away, leaving me alone, my heart still beating like mad, my hand holding my ear.

~~~~8:00 PM STILL THE PROFESSOR'S HOUSE~~~~

"Tadaima!" the Professor announced as he walked through the front door.

"Okaeri, Hakase. I'm just about finished with preparing dinner. Could you call Kudo-kun? He's locked himself in his room since we came home."

"Hmmm… Shinichi's probably depressed with having to leave Ran. I'll go get him after I change."

As the Professor left the kitchen, Haibara smiled and whispered to herself, "I don't think that's it, Hakase…"

~~~~8:10 PM CONAN'S ROOM~~~~

_Damn that Haibara. Making my heart beat like that. But wait… Why did my heart beat like that? It's not like she's anything special… Is she? Well, of course she's special. She's the one who made APTX 4869. She can't not be special. Wait, what? She can't not be special? Argh! Dammit Haibara!_

_And what's with that women is my weak point? Of course I'd react like that! I mean she was technically my first kiss. The one with Ran doesn't count. She just did it to save me. Wait… What!? The one with Ran doesn't count!?!? Since when did I start thinking like that?_

As I kept muttering to myself, I suddenly heard a knock on the door. I jumped up with a start and fell off the bed. "Ow, dammit! Haibara, I have no time for your games!"

The door opened and I looked up at the Professor's worried face. "Umm… Shinichi…?"

"Oh, it's just you, Hakase…" I sat up and checked for injuries.

"Sorry if I startled you Shinichi, but dinner's ready." The Professor then chewed his lip, as if uncertain whether to continue. "Shinichi, I know you're depressed about leaving Ran, but I don't think you should blame Ai-kun for it…"

"Wha-What?" I didn't understand the Professor's words at first but then I realized that he thought I was mad at Haibara. _Little does he know… _"Don't worry about it Hakase. I'm okay. I was just surprised that you're home."

"Well, it is 8 o'clock…"

"Huh? Oh yeah, you're right. I didn't notice the time. I was so engrossed with my thoughts, I didn't notice." Seeing his still skeptical look, I assured him once more. "Really, Hakase. Everything's fine."

He still seemed unsure but then he seemed to shrug it off. He nodded then said, "If you say so, Shinichi. Remember, dinner's ready."

"I'll go down in a bit, Hakase."

~~~~8:20 PM THE PROFESSOR'S KITCHEN~3RD PERSON POV~~~~

"Hmmm… I wonder where Shinichi is… He said he'll come down in a bit…"

"Don't worry about him Hakase. With men, their stomachs are first priority."

As she said this, Conan walked down the stairs making the Professor say, "Speak of the devil..."

"What did you say, Hakase?" asked Conan as he took his seat.

"Ah, it's nothing. Well, then. Itadakimasu." He was about to eat, when a thought occurred to him. "Shinichi, why do you still wear glasses?"

"Huh? What?"

"I mean, you don't live with Ran anymore. I don't think she'll find out about your identity."

"Well, the thing is," he said with a smile, "I kinda got used to it. Not to mention, if I ever come across a criminal like Scorpion again, these bulletproof glasses will come in handy."

"Oh... Is that so..."

They ate the rest of their meal in silence, with Conan sneaking glances at Haibara every now and then.

"Kudo-kun, I didn't realize I was so interesting tonight."

"Huh?? What??" Conan was surprised. He didn't think that Haibara would notice him.

"You've been staring at me." she smirked and said, "Perhaps you'd like to do so at a much closer range?"

"Huh!? What!?" He blushed, 4 shades of red this time. (haha)

"Just kidding Kudo-kun. *sigh* I never thought detectives were so illiterate."

"Huh..? What..?"

"For someone who's supposed to be observant, you didn't seem to notice that all you've ever said to me so far is 'Huh' and 'What' with varying degrees of intonation, stress and duration."

He recalled the last things he said and he realized she was right. He looked down in embarrassment to avoid Haibara's stare and the Professor's curious gaze.

Conan still seemed uncertain about something , then sighed and said, "Ne, Haibara..."

"What is it now, Kudo-kun?"

_Should I say it? Hakase is here and it's kinda embarrassing... Argh! Screw Hakase!_

Conan cleared his throat and began, "Haibara..."

"I said what is it?" she replied, with a hint of annoyance.

He decided to drop the bomb. "Do you like me?"

The Professor dropped his chopsticks and stared at him with surprise. Haibara, however, didn't seem the least bit affected with his question. She looked at him with that cool glare of hers and said, "Don't flatter yourself, Kudo-kun."

She stood up and carried her plate to the sink. "It's your turn to wash the plates today, Hakase. I'll be going to sleep now. Oyasumi."

"Oi, Haibara!"

"What? Do you want to sleep with me now, tantei-kun?" with that she smirked and left, leaving him blushing with the Professor staring at him.

"Shinichi, do you-" the Professor was saying but Shinichi cut him off.

"It's nothing Hakase. We were just playing." He put his dishes in the sink and left for his room.

_Sigh... I should have known. I won't get a straight answer from her... But... __What was I thinking..? There's no way she would possibly like me... Where did I get that idea...? But then, why did she kiss me? Was it because of pity? Sigh... I never can figure her out...  
_

Confused with his thoughts and feelings, Conan just closed his eyes and wished he would fall asleep.

~~~~THE NEXT DAY TEITAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL~~~~

RRRIIINNNGGG!!!

The bell rang, signaling the start of lunch break. Sixth-grader Edogawa Conan was just about to get up from his seat when he noticed that Haibara was just staring off into space.

"Oi Haibara. Is something wrong? The bell rang already..."

The Shounen Tantei (Detective Boys), consisting of Yoshida Ayumi, Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko and Kojima Genta, also noticing their friend's weird behavior walked over.

"Ai-chan, aren't you going to eat your lunch?"

"It's not healthy to skip lunch, Haibara-san."

"Okaa-chan said that you have to eat 3 times a day or the gods will punish you."

(3 guesses on who said what ^_^)

Haibara sighed and said, "It's nothing. And it's not like you guys to waste your precious minutes of lunch break for someone like me."

"Ai-chan! We're your friends. We're just concerned." said Ayumi.

"Well, I don't need your concern." she snapped.

"Oi Haibara," said Conan, gripping her shoulder.

She was about to snap at him, when she noticed the genuine worry in her friends' eyes. She took a deep breath and said, "It's nothing really... I just..."

"You just????" four voices piped up.

Red tinted her cheeks and she looked down to avoid their gaze. "I just forgot my lunch, that's all."

Conan was quiet for a second and then started to laugh. "That's it???"

Haibara turned on her glare full-force at him. "That why I said it was nothing, _**Edogawa-kun**_."

"Haibara-san... If you don't mind..."

All eyes turned to the speaker.

"Wouldyouliketosharemylunch?"

~~~~**CHAPTER 4: SHE CAN'T NOT BE SPECIAL** **end**~~~~

OMG! A cliffhanger! Although... it is kinda obvious who the mystery owner of that voice is. Haha. Anyway 3 guesses everyone! A cookie to the person who guesses right! Deduction time on the next chapter ^_^.

Reviews are welcomed!


	5. We'll Never Know Now, Will We?

Ummm... Starting here, the italicized part is the thoughts of the one with the dominant point of view.

**Disclaimer: **Detective Conan isn't mine. Never was and never will be.

**Sorry for the lame Conan deduction! ^_^**

Okay guys, deduction time! Let's see… There were 4 suspects: Conan, Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta.

It can't be Ayumi since she calls her 'Ai-chan'. Same with Conan and Genta. They call her 'Haibara' without the –san. To further support this, Conan had just made fun of her and there's no way Genta will share his lunch with anybody. That leaves…

~~~~**CHAPTER 5: WE'LL NEVER KNOW NOW, WILL WE?**~CONAN'S POV~~~~

"I don't think she wants to, Mitsuhiko."

All eyes then turned to me. "Why do you say that, Conan-kun?" asked Ayumi.

"Well," I said, staring my deduction, "Haibara has never shared lunch with anyone before-"

"But that doesn't mean she won't!" intervened an angry Mitsuhiko.

"That's true but that's not the only reason why. You see, she didn't want to tell us, right? We had to force it out of her. Which leads me to believe that she doesn't want to and will not accept help from us. Not to mention, her damn pride won't let her," I ended, with a smirk very similar to the girl in question.

"Ara, as expected from the famous detective," said Haibara, "but I'm afraid I'll have to prove you wrong." Turning to Mitsuhiko she smiled, a real smile. "I'd love to share your lunch."

"Wai-what!? That's cheating!"

"And what is, tantei-kun?"

"You're doing that just to spite me!"

She flashed that familiar smirk of hers. "We'll never know now, will we?"

"Anyway, let's go, Haibara-san!" injected the obviously excited Mitsuhiko. He took her by the wrist, leaving the other three behind.

I kicked the nearest table and cursed. "Dammit!"

Ayumi looked at me. "Conan-kun… Do you love Ai-chan? (Ai-chan no koto ga... suki...?)" she asked, hoping that the answer was no.

"What!? There's no way!" I shouted. _There's no way... right..?_

_What the hell? My head's a mess! Damn that Haibara! I can't think straight!_ _But... I do know one thing... I don't want Haibara and Mitsuhiko eating lunch together alone. Wait? What? Together alone? God, I'm really going crazy. But still... I don't like it...  
_

"Then, Conan-kun? Conan-kun! Let's eat lunch together." Ayumi said, smiling with relief._  
_

I snapped out of my thoughts. "Gomen, Ayumi-chan" I said. "But, there's something I have to do." With that, I rushed out of the room. I saw two people lounging beside the window. Thinking that they might know the whereabouts of the two, I asked them, "Do you know where Haibara went?"

"Haibara?" one of them asked.

"You know, Haibara Ai! The Ice Queen!" the kid beside him said.

"Oh... _That_ Haibara... You know, I heard she is so hard to get and _very_ cold with anyone who tries to approach her."

"Yeah. I'm kinda surprised someone as cool as her is friends with those Shounen Tantei."

_Huh... Haibara even has a reputation like that..._

"So, do you know where she is???" I urgently asked.

"Wasn't she going to the rooftop with that freckled guy?"

"Yeah. I think his name was... Mitsu...bishi or something."

_Haha... It's Mitsuhiko. I guess he's not that popular..._

"Thanks." I left the two talking about Haibara Ai, the Ice Queen.

~~~~TEITAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ROOFTOP~HAIBARA'S POV~~~~

The two of us had sat down at the rooftop. Tsuburaya-kun was bringing out his bento when he suddenly stopped dead. I was curious at his actions and was about to ask him what was wrong when I saw him staring at the ground. I quickly inspected the ground. Seeing only his bento, I opened my mouth to ask when I realized the problem.

"Tsuburaya-kun, there's only one pair of chopstick, isn't there?"

"Huh!? What!?"

_He probably has the same dictionary as that soccer freak..._

"Ummm..." he suuddenly put his bento down and stood up saying, "I'll go down to the canteen and get some chopsticks."

He was about to rush off when I suddenly had this idea. _BY the time he gets back, lunch break would be over... Hmmm...  
_

"It's okay, Tsuburaya-kun," I said, signaling him to stay. "Do you want me to feed you?"

"Wha-what!?" He was blushing like mad and I couldn't help but smile to myself. He sat back down as if his knees couldn't support him. "I said, do you want me to feed you?"

"Ummm, ummm... H-Hai! I-if y-you d-d-don't m-mind!" _He says yes like an excited puppy. I wonder what Kudo-kun will say if he sees this.  
_

I took the chopsticks from him and opened his bento box (I'm not sure what you call it. hehe ^_^). He opened his his mouth with an "Aaaahhh..." and I was about to put food in his mouth when suddenly, the door to the rooftop was practically slammed open and _surprise, surprise, _that soccer freak came.

"What the hell are you doing!?!?" he shouted.

_He should know better than to use those words in front of these kids..._

"Co-Conan-kun???" my bento-mate asked. (haha ^_^ bento-mate. I just made that one up)

"Haibara! What the hell are you doing!?"

"In case you're blind, I was sharing his lunch, tantei-kun." I calmly replied, no expression on my face.

"Why the hell are you doing that?!?!"

"Well, I don't want to go hungry."

"Dammit Haibara! You hug me, kiss me, make my heart beat like crazy, then you go and flirt with some other guy!?!?"

I was a slightly surprised by his outburst. Tsuburaya-kun, however, seemed seriously shocked. "Ha-Haibara-san? I-is that true?" My gaze shifted from him to the still-panting detective. It seems he ran all the way here. I raised one of my eyebrows at him, as if telling him to answer the question.

He suddenly blushed deep red. "Th-that is-"

RRRIIINNNGGG!!!

The bell rang, signaling the end of my lunch. I walked away from Tsuburaya-kun and when I was in Edogawa-kun's hearing range I whispered, in a voice so low that only he could hear, "Great timing, Kudo-kun." When I reached the door, I turned and said to my still gawking bento-mate, "We didn't really get to eat, but thanks."

As I said that, the bell rang once again, reminding us that we had to get back to class.

We got back to the classroom just in time. The faces of two boys with me were still flushed. We had back-to-back classes so Tsuburaya-kun didn't have the time to get his answer. However, there seemed to be enough time to gossip. Just by seeing the two boy's faces, our whole class suddenly turned to each other's ears, the next rumor more extreme than the last.

~~~~AFTER CLASS SIXTH GRADE CLASSROOM~~~~

Our classes just ended, and already, hordes of students were crowding around Kudo-kun and me.

"I heard you and Mitsuhiko-kun---"

"Haibara-san, did you---"

All these question were cut off with Tsuburaya-kun walking towards us. Everybody else stood back and watched.

"Conan-kun, " he started, his cheeks flushed red, his eyes burning with anger. Or was it jealousy? "Did you really kiss Haibara-san?"

At this, everybody's eyes widened and the whispers started again. Kudo-kun was fidgeting, looking anywhere but me. I actually considered helping him, but then, _It might be fun to play with him for a little while. Saa, Kudo-kun, show me how you'll handle this. _I looked at him and caught his attention.

I smirked at him and said, "You started this Edogawa-kun. You handle it." I walked away, towards the door, with the whole class staring at me.

~~~~TEITAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ENTRANCE~RAN'S POV~~~~

I stood outside my former elementary school's entrance feeling nostalgic. I remembered the times me and Shinichi used to play here.

A cold wind blew, snapping me out of my nostalgia. I took a deep breath and headed towards Conan-kun's classroom. I was reaching for the door when it suddenly opened. I stared in surprise at Ai-chan, still holding the door. I was about to greet her when these words suddenly reached my ears.

"Conan-kun! Answer me! Did you kiss Haibara-san or not!?"

That stopped me. Made me look at the girl before me, a question in my eyes. She merely nodded a greeting, walked past me and left. I was about to call out to her when the shouts started.

"Conan-kun!"

"Did you really kiss her!?"

"What did she do!?"

"Was she good at kissing?" (elementary kids ask things like that???)

Conan-kun was being extremely pressured. _If that were me, I'd be crying by now, _I thought.

At that moment, Conan-kun seemed to notice me being there. "Ran-neechan! What are you doing here?" He ran towards me, looking glad for the distraction.

"I..." I was speechless, but seeing his relieved, familiar face, I plastered a fake smile on mine and said in overly-jolly tone, "I came to walk you home!"

"But, Ran-neechan, what about school?"

"We have research day today! That means no classes, Conan-kun."

His classmates however, didn't seem half as glad as Conan-kun. Mitsuhiko-kun was about to open his mouth to say something, probably about that confrontation they were having just before I came, when Ayumi-chan suddenly piped up.

"Ran-oneesan, you came to walk Conan-kun home, right? I'll come with you." With that, she grabbed Conan-kun's wrist and practically dragged him out of the room. I followed them, taking only one glance back and thinking, _Kids grow up so fast nowadays..._

~~~~ON THE WAY HOME~CONAN'S POV~~~

The three of us walked in silence. I could feel that the two girls walking beside me were bursting with curiosity. I waited for them to ask, not wanting to bring up the subject myself. Still, I was surprised when both of them said at the same time,"Conan-kun, Did you really kiss Ai-chan?"

I opened my mouth to answer, and thought better of it. I remembered the girl in question, remembered the words she said, and repeated them with a smile.

"We'll never know now, will we?"

~~~~**CHAPTER 5: WE'LL NEVER KNOW NOW, WILL WE?** **end**~~~~

So? What do you think? I really liked the part where Conan lost his cool and shouted, "You hug me, kiss me, make my heart beat like crazy" That's my favorite part. ^_^ I also like the Mitsubishi part. Shows just how insignificant Mitsuhiko is. haha ^_^

I didn't really know what to do with this chapter. haha ^_^. See how Mitsuhiko is totally out of character? He's even fighting with Conan now.

Tell me what you think. Read and review please!


	6. Koi Wa Nani?

I try to make it a point to make each chapter at least a thousand words. It's kinda hard if you want to keep the next scene for the next chapter...

**Disclaimer:** The day I own Detective Conan will be the day I hate Haibara Ai. In other words, never.

~~~~**CHAPTER 6: KOI WA NANI?**~~~~

"Conan-kun, don't avoid the question!"

"Sou yo, Conan-kun! It's just a yes or no!"

Conan just smiled at their attempts to make him answer the big question, "Did he kiss Haibara or not?" He was about to chuckle at how desperate they were to know when Ayumi-chan's words earlier ran through his mind. _Do you love Ai-chan?_

This made him stop walking, frown at the ground at he remembered what his answer was. _There's no way!_

_There's no way I love her... There's no way... How could I? She's the one who made that drug. But... wasn't she a victim, too? A victim of the Organization... Argh! Why am I even thinking about this!? We trashed the Organization three years ago. Sure, there might be some agents left but they can't do much, right? Besides, Jodie-sensei said they'll catch them all... _His thoughts were getting farther and farther off-topic when Ayumi-chan's words echoed through his mind again.

_Do you love Ai-chan?_

The small detective, confused with himself thought, _Why would I love her? How could I love her? I mean, love is... Love is, what I used to feel for Ran, right? So love is... Love is... What..? What did I feel for Ran?  
_

The two girls beside where looking at him curiously, wondering why he suddenly stopped. They were about to ask him what was wrong when he said, "Ne... Ran-neechan..."

"What is it, Conan-kun?" asked a worried Ran.

He looked at her straight in the eyes as he quietly said, "Koi wa... nani? (What is love?)"

"Koi wa..." she repeated, as if unsure whether the question had been asked. She looked at his eyes, and felt a pang in her heart. _He really has replaced me with Ai-chan... Shinichi... How could you..? _she thought. _I must be going crazy... Believing that Conan-kun really is Shinichi..._

She smiled sadly, looking at his sincere yet confused eyes. "Love is... What I felt for Shinichi... What I still feel for him..." She said those words, hoping to get some sort of reaction, but the 12-year-old boy only kept staring at her, waiting for an answer. She sighed, knowing that she had lost to a certain cool, mysterious girl. She then thought about his question, and answered,

"Love is... that fluttery feeling you get when you look at someone you like. It differs from person to person so I can't really explain it, but you'll know love when you see it."

The little detective looked at her for a second more, then seemed to accept her answer and started walking.

"Conan-kun!" shouted an angry Ayumi.

Surprised, Conan stopped and turned around to face her. "What is it, Ayumi-chan?"

"Why... why don't... why didn't..." she started haltingly, then took a big breath and let it all out, "Why didn't you ask **_ME_**, Conan-kun? _**I**_ can tell you was love is!!!"

Ran seemed a little surprised at that. Her gaze went from Conan to Ayumi and back again. The shounen (boy), however, started to laugh. "Yeah, right, Ayumi-chan. You're only twelve. How could _you_ know what love is?"

Ayumi was hurt, and very, very angry. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes seemed to be burning a hole in Conan's eyes. "I know what love is, because I've loved you for the last five years!!!"

The little detective was speechless at her outburst. He was staring at her, surprise evident in his eyes. Perhaps he didn't know about her unrequited love. Or, perhaps he did, but didn't expect her to confess. Either way, the he didn't know what to do.

At his lack of movement, tears pooled in her eyes. "Conan-kun wa baka!" She turned around and ran away.

Conan took one step forward, as if to chase after her, but then changed his mind and just looked down at his feet. Ran looked at him worriedly. "Won't you go after her?"

He was silent for a moment, seeming to consider the question, then shook his head slowly. "Even if I did, I wouldn't know what to say to her." He started to walk again, Ran at his side.

"Conan-kun..." she started gently.

Silence greeted her. But she was sure that the shounen beside her was listening. She continued, "Rejection hurts, Conan-kun."

He still didn't speak, but she could feel that he was paying more attention now. "It doesn't matter on what side you are. Whether you're the one rejecting, or the one being rejected. Especially if that person is someone close to you. But you know what? Sometimes it just has to be done. You can't keep that person hanging forever."

As she said this, they arrived at the Professor's front gate.

Conan still looked uncertain, then he raised his head and said, "Ran-neechan, I-"

She pressed her finger to her lips, telling him to stop. "Think about it, okay? Don't make rash decisions." She took a few steps away, waved a goodbye and said a cheerful "Ja ne, Conan-kun." With that she turned around, not wanting him to see the tears in her eyes. "Rejection hurts," she whispered. "Especially if you didn't want to reject that person in the first place..."

Conan, not hearing her words, gave a wave and said, "Ja ne... Ran-neechan..."

He was about to open the gate, when a certain reddish brown-haired girl entered his mind._ Haibara... How am I going to face her... After my outburst in the rooftop, it's embarrassing just to look at her... Not to mention, she's no help. 'You started this. You handle it' my ass! I can't believe she got away that easily. Thank God Ran came along._

He sighed, ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. _Fine! If I see her, I'll just act normal. Although I do wonder what normal is... Let's just hope she's not home yet..._

'Yeah, right,' a nagging voice in his head said, 'She left earlier than you, of course she's home.'

He frowned at that and thought, _Stay out of my head._

He took another deep breath and opened the gate. He carefully approached the front door and tried the door knob. He was surprised that the door was locked. _Yes! This means she isn't home yet! But then... neither is Hakase. Well anyway, this works for my favor._

He took out his key and opened the lock with it. Stepping inside, he threw his bag down at the sofa and wrote a note. It says, "I'm not going to eat dinner. Please don't bother me. -Conan" He would have written 'Shinichi' but for fear that someone else might see it, he changed his mind. He left the note at the kitchen table, sure that one of his two housemates would notice it.

He then went to his room, making sure to lock the door. He then sat cross-legged on his bed, ready to think about the day's events. He didn't hear the sound of the front door opening, didn't notice the arrival of the girl in his thoughts, didn't hear her say,

"Tadaima."

~~~~**CHAPTER 6: KOI WA NANI? end**~~~~

Is it just me, or is there too much romaji on this chapter? Anyway read and review everyone! You'll have my eternal gratitude. By the way, I enable anonymous reviews ^_^.

Argh! Why is Ran appearing too much in this story!? RAN, of all people!!! Sigh... Not to mention... OMG I just noticed this, but the only appearance Haibara made is that one little line in the end!!! AAAAHHHH!!! Just wait! In the next chapter, Conan x Ai moments!!!

P.S. 'Tadaima' means 'I'm home' while 'Okaeri' means 'Welcome home.'


	7. Because of This

BWAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm going crazy! Really crazy!!! Read this chapter I really love it!!! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

**Disclaimer: **Haibara Ai is the Goddess of my life. Too bad I don't own her.

~~~~**CHAPTER 7:** **BECAUSE OF THIS**~~~~

"Kudo-kun, the Professor had to attend a convention, so he won't be home for a few days. Chotto, Kudo-kun? Are you listening?"

Haibara put down her bag next to his, then looked around in the kitchen. Seeing a piece of paper that wasn't there this morning, she approached it and read the note. _So he won't be eating dinner... Well, I was planning on making him eat alone, since I already ate with Hakase before he left._

_Hmmm... _she thought, with a slight smile on her lips, _I do wonder what he's going to do about that little rumor that he started. By tomorrow, it probably won't be so little anymore. That's probably what he's thinking about right now. "_Surprise me, Kudo Shinichi," she whispered to herself.

She climbed the stairs, wondering what to do. When she arrived at the top, she saw Conan's door slightly open. She peeked inside and saw the shrunken detective sitting cross-legged on his bed, his back facing the door. Unconsciously, she walked inside, not making a sound, closing the door with an inaudible 'click' and sat behind the shounen.

"H-Haibara? What are you doing here?"

_I could ask that myself,_ the little scientist thought, inwardly scolding herself. _What am I doing here?_ She was a bit unnerved by her sudden impulse but quickly regained her composure.

~~~~A FEW MINUTES EARLIER CONAN'S ROOM~CONAN'S POV~~~~

_Ayumi confessed to me... But even though she did, I don't like her... Not that way... Even if I did, there's no way we can be together... I'm a 22-year-old detective and she's just a normal 12-year-old girl. And then there's the matter with Haibara..._

_Sigh... Haibara... What should I do with that rumor? Haibara is extremely popular and if I say yes, the guys in class will probably kill me. But wait! It wasn't me who kissed her! It was HER who kissed ME! ... But there's no way they'll believe that... Ice Queen Haibara Ai kissing me, it's just too absurd a thought. Argh!!! I have WAY too many problems, dammit. There's Ayumi's question, too..._

_Do you love Ai-chan?_

_Do I love her? Ran said "Love is... that fluttery feeling you get when you look at someone you like. It differs from person to person so I can't really explain it, but you'll know love when you see it." I don't really get all fluttery when I see her. We argue all the time and I always seem to lose. How could I possibly be happy with that? She... She...  
_

_I only realized it now... But even though I lose in our arguments, I have fun fighting with her. The times when we don't fight make me feel like something's missing, like there's a hole in my heart that needs filling. I felt the same way when Haibara agreed to eat lunch with Mitsuhiko... Is it possible that I was... jealous?_

_Goddammit... I don't understand a thing anymore. What happened to the days when I would just think about it and things will fall into place? Sigh... But... If... And only if... If I do love her... Then... Everything makes sense...  
_

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I was startled to sense someone leaning on my back. My eyes, which were closed, snapped open with surprise; my mouth opened to ask who was there, when a faint fragrance wafted towards my nose and I instantly recognized the person sitting behind me. "H-Haibara? What are you doing here?" _Damn. I forgot that the locks are broken._

There was a slight pause, then she said,_"_So? What are going to do about that little rumor you started?"

"I-I didn't-" I denied, my cheeks tainted slightly pink, "I didn't start it!"

"And I suppose it would have started by itself if you hadn't said that at the rooftop?"

"I didn't-"

"How did it go again?" she said. I couldn't see her face, but I could definitely sense her smirking. "_You hug me, kiss me, make my heart pound like crazy_, was it?"

I was about to object, was about to tell her to shut up when I suddenly had this thought. I took a deep breath and smiled at my brilliant idea. "It was beat," I said.

"Excuse me?"

"What I said was, 'You hug me, kiss me, make my heart **beat** like crazy." As I said this, I covered her hand with mine.

I heard her gasp in surprise, perhaps at my change of attitude or maybe because of me holding her hand. Either way, we sat there, back-to-back, and I was happy she wasn't pulling away.

"Ne, Haibara..."

"What is it, Kudo-kun?"

"Can you call me Shinichi now?"

"I'm not incapable of saying your name, Kudo Shinichi."

"No... Not like that..." I started, smiling at the fact that she could still tease me at a time like this. "I mean, instead of calling me Kudo, could you call me Shinichi?"

"And why should I? Shinichi is one syllable longer than Kudo."

I chuckled a little. "So the great scientist Miyano Shiho is actually so lazy as to say a name just one syllable longer than the other?"

I could feel her smile. "Fine then. I'll call you by your first name, Shinichi."

Just hearing her call my name made my heart beat a little faster. Not that it wasn't beating fast enough, what with me holding her hand and all.

"Then... May I call you Ai? Or should it be Shiho?"

"I threw away my past identity when we caught the Black Organization three years ago, Shinichi. And no, you may not."

"Awww... Come on, why not? We're housemates after all. And you let Ayumi-chan and Ran."

At the mention of Ran, she stiffened a little. _I wonder why?,_ I thought, gripping her hand a little bit tighter, just in case she would go away.

"Mouri-san is physically older than me. There's nothing I can do about it. And Yoshida-san is a friend."

"Are you saying I'm not your friend?" I asked in a teasing tone.

"... I guess you are. But I will not let my name be called by male brutes."

"I'm not a brute! I'm very gentle." I chuckled. "Come on, Ai, please?" I sensed that she was about to start another argument, but then felt her sigh as if she realized I wasn't backing down and said, "Fine. I don't think I can change your mind tonight."

"Great! Then I can proudly add my name to the list of privileged people who call you by your first name. Hmmm... There's Hakase, Ayumi-chan, Takagi-keji, Ran, Ran's mom... There's very few people who call you Ai, huh?"

She stiffened once again and pulled back her hand. She stood up and took a few steps towards the door, as if she was going to leave._ What did I do wrong? Why is she leaving? I don't understand a thing... But I don't want her to leave._

I caught up to her and held her by the wrist. She resisted a little, trying to pull it away but I didn't let go. "What do you want, Shinichi?"

I opened my mouth to tell her not to leave, to tell her I wanted her to stay, but something completely different slipped from my tongue. "Ayumi-chan confessed to me on the way home."

She stopped resisting, looked at me from the corner of her eyes and said, "Is that so?" She smiled. "If you break Yoshida-san's heart, I won't forgive you." (hehe ^_^ this line is from the end of movie 5)

In my surprise, my grip on her loosened and she was able to take a few more steps. I snapped out of it and caught up to her once again, and gripped her shoulders, this time turning her around to face me. "Is that all you have to say?"

"Why should I say more, tantei-kun?" Her face was completely emotionless. But I could swear that just a moment ago, I saw hurt in her eyes.

"Because... Because..." I didn't know what made me do it, just that it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

"Because of this." I pulled her towards me, pressing my lips against hers. Her eyes widened as she felt my lips crashing against hers. My hand grazed her cheek gently and the other pulled her closer to me. I backed her up against the wall, hitting my dresser in the process, and making my alarm clock fall down with a clang. I ignored it and continued kissing her, only breaking apart to gasp for air.

The moment we broke apart, I already missed it, the feeling of her lips pressing against mine. I was about to kiss her again, when she said, "...Shinichi..?" That made me look at her and I saw the vulnerability in her eyes, but that only made me want her more. My left hand continued caressing her face, my other dropping down to her thigh. I kissed her lightly on the lips and said, "Let me..."

She whimpered in reply, her eyes fluttering closed and I took that as consent. I pushed her gently down towards the bed and followed suit. My tongue traced her lips before slithering inside her mouth, tangling with her tongue, enjoying the sweet taste taste that was uniquely her. She moaned and something stirred inside of me. I stopped, pulled back and we stared at each other for a while. "Ai, I..."

I didn't really know what I was gonna say then, but I guess it doesn't really matter, considering I never got to say it. I was cut off by the door suddenly opening and the Professor saying, "Shinichi? I heard something fall. Are you al... right..." before dropping the glass he was holding, making it crash on the floor, breaking into little pieces.

~~~~**CHAPTER 7: BECAUSE OF THIS end**~~~~

Hakase!!! You're such a kill-joy!!! Why are you home!?!? I thought you were at a convention!!! What's gonna happen in the next chapter??? How will Conan explain the very**, very** questionable position they are in!?!?!? And what about that rumor with Mitsuhiko!?!?! The answers are in the next chapter!!! (I hope) (And there's too much exclamation points and question marks here.)

Anyway, read and review anyone. I mean, everyone. You guys are the inspiration of my life. Whenever I see your reviews, my grin is totally splitting my face. Haha ^_^

P.S. I really AM going crazy...

P.P.S. I know that the part in Conan's thoughts, the one that goes: '_It wasn't me who kissed her! It was HER who kissed ME!' _I know it's wrong grammar but I like it. It should go_ '__It wasn't I who kissed her! It was SHE who kissed ME!'_


	8. SS Tadaima

BWAHAHAHAHA!!! You guys probably thought this is the next chapter!!! If you did, you're totally wrong!!! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

*clears throat* What my other personality is trying to say is, this is kinda like a side story. It's not really unrelated to the plot but not really needed either. This is just made to... clear up a few things. You know, for idiots like me. Otherwise, even I, as author, won't know what's going on. And I seem to get the hang of doing things like this after cliffies, so... SUFFER!!!! BWAHAHAHA!!!

Ehem. Okay. I'll tell you beforehand. **This chapter.. sucks**. Say it out loud. Let the whole world hear. **THIS CHAPTER SUCKS!** And so do all side stories I'm gonna make from now on. But I wanna do this and nobody's stopping me.

Hakase'll be a bit OOC here. Can't really get his character right... Maybe even Haibara...

**Disclaimer:** We all know who owns Detective Conan, right?

P.S. **S.S.** means side story.

~~~~**CHAPTER 7.5:** **S.S. TADAIMA**~~~~

Haibara left the school with Conan staring at her, begging for help with just his eyes, and Ran giving her this surprised and questioning gaze. _To tell the truth, I really wanted to stay behind and watch him squirm, _she thought to herself,_ but I have an appointment with the Professor._

She walked through the streets of Beika, a place that used to be completely unknown to her but was now her home. She couldn't help but reminisce, remembering the cases she had encountered with the shrunken detective she had left behind.

_Wherever I go, if I'm with Kudo-kun, I always seem to encounter a case. _She smiled. _Well, I guess it's more exciting that way._

She stopped walking in front of a Chinese restaurant. _I guess this is the place I'm supposed to meet Hakase._ She was about to enter, when an old man of around 50 bumped into her. He was balding, the top of his head hairless, but it seems he let the rest of his hair grow down to his shoulders. Wearing circular glasses, he said, "I'm sorry ojou-chan. Are you hurt?"

Haibara looked up and met the eyes of the man who bumped into her. "Hakase?"

"Ai-kun! It's you!"

~~~~INSIDE THE CHINESE RESTAURANT~~~~

Haibara and the Professor were sitting down at a table, waiting for their order. "Sorry for bumping into you earlier, Ai-kun."

"It's okay, Hakase. I wasn't hurt. By the way, why did you tell me to come here this morning?"

"Well, the thing is, a inventor friend of mine, you know, the one who asked me look at his inventions? He got an invitation to a convention. But he can't attend it. His wife is in the hospital right now and he wants to by her side. So he asked me to attend in his place. I already packed my clothes and a few of my inventions earlier. They're all in here," he said, patting the bag beside him.

As he did, their food arrived and they started eating.

"I see... So how long will you be gone?"

"I think... Two days at most. The place they will hold the convention is close, so I'll get there by train."

"Are you sure you can take care of yourself Hakase? You're hopeless when I'm gone."

"Now now, Ai-kun. You're making me sound like an irresponsible child," he said with a smile.

"Aren't you?" she replied with a teasing tone.

"*laugh* I guess I am. But I'm too old to be called a child now."

Their friendly bantering continued and they eventually finished eating. Haibara looked the piles of food left and eyed the Professor.

"Well... I wanted to have something to eat while on the way... *laugh*

~~~~CHINESE RESTAURANT ENTRANCE~~~~

"Take care Hakase."

"You too, Ai-kun. Tell Shinichi for me, will you?"

The two parted ways and the little scientist made her way home. She opened the door, saw that that it was unlocked and noted that Conan was home.

"Tadaima."

~~~~TRAIN STATION~~~~

The Professor was waiting for his train to enter the station, when his pager suddenly beeped. He looked at it, and saw that he was supposed to call his friend (the one who invited him to attend the convention). He went to the nearest public phone and dialed. The phone rang three times before someone picked up.

"Moshi moshi. It's Agasa Hiroshi."

"Agasa-hakase! The convention committee called me a few minutes earlier and they said that they were changing the location of the convention."

"What? Why?"

"Well, it seems like there are a lot of new inventors attending, and they wanted to check out the inventions before showing them to the mass. So the one you'll be attending is private. The public convention will be held about a month from now."

"Oh... I see... So where will I go now?"

"You know the place where we gathered about 2 months ago? That's where."

"But no buses travel down that place, right?"

"Well, yes. So you're going to have to drive. You're not on the way now, are you?"

"I'm in the station but I haven't gotten on a train yet."

"Great. Then, they'll be expecting you by tomorrow. Can you make it?"

"I don't see why not. I'll be heading home first to get my car and keys."

"Oh, wait. Since they'll be taking a look at your inventions, it might take longer than usual. Is that okay? I heard you're taking care of kids now, right?"

"It's okay. I'm sure they can take care of themselves"

"Okay. Thanks. For attending this convention in my place."

"No, it's an honor. Haha..."

"Bye, then."

"You, too. Take care of your wife, okay?"

With that, he put the phone back in its handle and made his way out of the station. He made his way home and entered with a soft "Tadaima." He saw the bags of the not-so-kids he was taking care of and made his way to the kitchen. He got himself a cup of tea when he heard a loud 'clang' coming from Conan's room. Alarmed, he made his way up and opened the door.

~~~~**CHAPTER 7.5:**** S.S TADAIMA end**~~~~

Hmmm... Not sure about the description of Hakase... Well, whatever. I just wrote that to make this chap longer. I'm not even sure if Hakase says words like ojou-chan... Or if he even has a pager... Pagers beep, right?

And... did you notice how I kept calling it 'chinese restaurant'? That's because I didn't know what to name it.

**To the people who didn't like this story (like me): just pretend you never read this.**

I know, I know... It doesn't make much disregard this as one of the times I lose my mind. I was just bored and this is what I came up with ^_^ I'd say read and review, but I'm kinda scared to see what reviews you'll give me. Haha ^_^


	9. No, I'll Show You

Here's a REAL chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

Hakase might be a little OOC here. I don't really know what he would do. And Conan, too. No... Conan had a character development so he became bolder. So technically, he's not... BUT Mitsuhiko is **totally** OOC. I don't give a damn about him anyway. Besides, I'm going crazy, remember? Everybody could go out-of-character for all I care.

**Disclaimer:** The last time I asked Aoyama Gosho-sama to give me Detective Conan, Gin ran me over with his Porsche 356A.

~~~~**CHAPTER 8:** **NO, I'LL SHOW YOU**~CONAN'S POV~~~~

"What are you doing to Ai-kun, Shinichi!?"

The Professor asked me that, alarm very evident on his face. He didn't even notice the broken shards of glass at his feet, or the tea that was spreading on the floor. My mind raced, thinking of a million possible reasons to explain why I was on top of Ai on a bed. I didn't realize that I still was, well, not until Haibara pushed me away and rose from her lying position.

"Hakase," she said, "Don't worry. Shinichi won't do anything stupid to me." At the word 'Shinichi,' Hakase's eyebrows rose, his alarmed look, which had turned into a questioning gaze shifted from me to her and back again.

"Yeah, that's right," I nervously added. "Ummm... You see..." I had a million excuses in my head, but my mind wasn't working so I probably picked the stupidest of them all. "Ai said she wasn't feeling well, so I was checking her temperature... You know, the forehead-to-forehead thing..."

His eyebrows rose even higher, if that was possible. I wasn't sure if it was because I called her 'Ai' or because of my pathetic reason.

"And... You need to be on a bed to do that?" His doubtful tone was making me a nervous wreck.

"Well... yeah... My mom said it's more accurate that way..." I said with a dumb grin. He stared at me once more, then seemed to conclude this scene as 'one of the times Shinichi goes crazy' and approached Haibara with a worried look on his face.

"Daijoubu (Are you okay), Ai-kun?"

"Hai, Hakase. It's just a little headache." Only then did I realize that I was holding my breath, wondering whether Haibara would go with my lie. "By the way, Hakase, why are you here? I thought you had to attend that convention."

"Oh, about that, they changed the location, so now I need to bring more clothes. And to get there, I'm going to have to drive so I came to get my keys and license."

I was really relieved that the topic was off the two of us. _Thank God for Haibara._ As this went through my mind, my stomach suddenly reminded me that I haven't eaten lunch yet. The two's conversation stopped and they both looked at me with amused faces. I looked down, embarrassed, but I couldn't stop the smile on my face.

"You haven't had dinner yet, Shinichi?" asked Hakase.

Haibara answered for me. "He hasn't eaten _lunch _yet Hakase. He was too busy doing **_other _**things." She said this with a smirk on her face, and I blushed, remembering my outburst earlier that day.

Hakase didn't seem to notice, however, and said, "You're lucky Shinichi! I figured Ai-kun won't cook just for you, so I brought some take-out with me. I left it on the kitchen table. Go and eat."

With that, Hakase went to his room to pack and Haibara and I were left alone. "Haibara, I..."

She smiled at me for the first time, and only then did I realize just how beautiful she really was. "It's Ai now, remember?" I smiled back at her and we stood there looking at each other, having a wonderful moment, when my stomach begged for attention.

She looked at me, that smile reverting to the old smirk and said, "You better feed that monster of yours, tantei-kun. I'll clean this up, so you go ahead." She left the room, carefully side-stepping the broken shards.

~~~~KITCHEN~~~~

"Ai-kun. Do you know where my license is? I can't seem to find it."

"Hakase, you put it inside your drawer after that camping trip last week, remember?

Their voices traveled down the stairs to the kitchen, where I was eating Chinese take-out. Well, it doesn't really matter what I was eating. I would have eaten anything then. _I hope I don't turn out like Genta._ I finished eating and put the leftovers in the fridge. I climbed the stairs and was about to enter my room when Hakase and Haibara left the Professor's room.

"Are you sure you have everything Hakase?"

"I'm sure. Don't worry about me Ai-kun." Hakase seemed to notice my presence then. "Take care of Ai-kun, Shinichi."

"I will, Hakase. You take care, too."

Hakase gave me a reassuring nod and went down the stairs. He turned around gave a wave and said, "Ja... Ittekimasu. (Then... I'll be going.)"

"Itterasshai (Have a safe trip)," we said together. When we heard the front door close, I turned to Haibara and said, "Ai..."

She ignored me, and went straight to her room. When the door closed, I just smiled to myself and said, "Goodnight, Ai."

Inside the room, a reddish-brown haired girl with aquamarine eyes leaned against the door and whispered, "Goodnight, Shinichi."

~~~~BEFORE CLASSES TEITAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL~AUTHOR'S POV~~~~

Everybody was excited, waiting for Haibara and Conan to come to school and confirm the rumors. They were talking amongst themselves each with their own ideas about the rumor.

"I knew it. I just knew it! When I heard the rumor yesterday, I wasn't surprised at all."

"You too? I always thought those two had a relationship going on."

"Did you know that Haibara-san went straight to Conan on the first day? It must have been love at first sight!"

"She did!? But I thought she joined Shounen Tantei because Conan-kun was there?"

"Oh, yeah! When they asked her to join, she said, 'Is Edogawa-kun a part of your group?' and when they said yes, she agreed to join."

"I guess it makes sense. Somebody as cool as Haibara-san wouldn't join something like that without a reason. But... Does that mean they've been going out all this time?"

"... I don't think so... I mean, if they did, why wait all this time before announcing that they're an official couple? Haibara-san's pretty popular so I'm sure a lot of guys have confessed to her. If they knew she was taken, they would've given up already, right?"

"Sounds like you gave it a lot of thought..."

"Of course I would. Because... I actually... like Conan-kun..."

Her eyes widened and she looked at her in disbelief. "You too?"

"What? You mean, you like him, too?"

"Yeah... He's so sweet and nice. You know, he helped me with my spelling for a whole week."

"Really? I knew he was smart and all, but that was so nice of him to do that!"

"And he's so cool when he plays soccer..."

A student joined them saying, "It's their business, why do you guys even care?"

"Aren't YOU curious?"

"No, not really. Curiosity killed the cat, you know?"

"But still... I thought _you_ liked Conan-kun, too.

"Wh-what!?" she said, flustered.

The two started teasing her so I moved on another pair. This time, it was two boys.

"Why do you think Conan-kun would kiss Haibara-san?"

"We don't know if it's even true yet."

"Well... yeah, but if it is, why do you think he would? I mean, sure she's cool and all, but she's kinda cold and untouchable..."

"......"

"Hey, are you listening?"

"... I don't know if I should say this, but she's not as cold as you think."

"Why do you say that?"

"About 2 months ago, I forgot something in my desk so I was walking back to school. On my way, I saw Haibara-san. Well... I was kinda scared of her so I hid behind a pole. When I sneaked a peek at her, she was kneeling down on the ground, holding a bird gently in her hands. The nest was on the tree beside the road, but you had to climb to reach it. I thought she would just leave the bird there but she actually climbed the tree and put it back."

"No... way..."

"It might sound impossible but it's true. And I'll tell you something even more unbelievable. When the bird chirped at her, kinda like thanks I guess, she smiled."

He was silent for a moment before saying, "The Ice Queen Haibara Ai smiling..?"

"Unbelievable, right? But... I guess, that was around the time I fell in love with her. I gave up on her, though. I knew she would just reject me."

"Good idea. I confessed to Haibara-san before but she turned me down."

"You did?"

Other guys overheard and joined their conversation.

"I asked her out last month and she just gave me a cool look and left."

"Mine was last year. She replied, 'Baka jan? (Are you an idiot?)' and walked out on me. Well, I was sooooo depressed then, but... I guess I got over it."

"Last year... Wasn't that around the time people started calling her the 'Ice Queen'?"

"Well... I was kinda the one who started it. But, if she rejected everyone, does that mean she was waiting for Edogawa-kun?"

"If you think about it, that _does _kinda make sense."

"If that's it, I'm kinda worried about Mitsubishi-kun."

"Mitsubishi-kun?"

"The freckled guy. The one who went face-to-face with Conan-kun yesterday."

"Wasn't it Mitsuhiko?"

"Ummmm... yeah, maybe. Anyway who cares? It's both Mitsu right?"

"Haha. I guess you're right. So, why are you worried about Mitsu-kun?"

"He's crushing on Haibara-san. Big time. But if you think about it, the chance that he'll get to go out with Haibara-san is zero."

"Yeah, he's kinda smart but he's too much of a show-off. If you ask me, I'd rather have Conan together with Haibara-san together than him."

"Exactly."

~~~~BEFORE CLASSES TEITAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL~CONAN'S POV~~~~

Haibara and I entered the classroom, and the students surrounded us. I did a quick scan of who was there and noted that Ayumi-chan was nowhere to be seen. I didn't really have much time to think about that because our classmates started talking about a million words per second.

"Conan-kun! You didn't answer us yesterday!"

"Did you really kiss her, Edogawa-san?"

"Edogawa-kun, are you two going out?"

I didn't really know who asked what but then there was one voice I recognized. Its owner stalked up to me, meeting me face to face and said, "Did you kiss her?"

I tried making light of the situation, smiled and joked, "Not even a hello, Mitsuhiko?"

"Not even a hello. Just answer the question."

I didn't really expect him to laugh, but still, his persistence was getting to me. I frowned at him a little and said, "What if I don't answer?"

"You will answer Conan-kun." he said with insistence. I was getting really annoyed.

"Why should I?"

"Because you made Ayumi-chan cry yesterday, Conan-kun. I **saw** you."

"So, you're a stalker now, huh?"

"Don't joke with me, Conan-kun! Ayumi-chan told you she loves you and you just laughed at her! She cried all the way home!"

"I didn't laugh because she told me she loved me! And, the reason she cried **all **the way home was probably because you're too much of a wimp that you couldn't even comfort her! And... that has nothing to do with this!"

"It has **everything** to do with this! You knew Ayumi-chan loves you, but now you're going around telling everybody you kissed Haibara-san!"

"You've got it all wrong! It wasn't me telling everybody I kissed Ai! It was **you**!"

"How **dare** you call her Ai now!"

"Why do you even care, Mitsuhiko!?" I asked, exasperated.

"Of course I care! I care because... because I..." He looked down, his cheeks slightly flushed. Then his face got that determined look and he turned to Haibara, who was watching the scene with mild interest.

"Haibara-san, I..." he said. "I... I like you! Willyougooutwithme!?"

Stunned, the class was quiet for a moment, like the quiet before the storm, then all hell broke loose. The boys in the class got started booing and shouting discouragements.

"Give it up, Mitsu-kun!"

"You know that's impossible."

"If she turned _me_ down, why should she accept you!?"

A red-faced Mitsuhiko shouted at them. "Sh-shut up! This isn't about that! This is about Conan-kun kissing Haibara-san!"

Everybody's attention turned back to me and Mitsuhiko turned to me again, his eyes burning.

"Did you kiss her or not!?" It was obvious he was running out of patience. Steam was practically coming out of his ears.

_Damn, _I thought to myself, _If only I'd thought about this yesterday. Well, I did but Haibara..._

I had flash of inspiration. It probably wasn't the best idea, but at that time, it seemed like the answer to all my problems. I smiled to myself and chuckled a little. This brought looks of confusion to everybody's faces, even Haibara. _She's probably wondering what I have to laugh about._

"You really wanna know?" I asked them, that smile still on my face.

"Well, yes..." Nods from all around, though hesitant this time.

"Fine, I'll tell you." I walked to where Haibara was. "No, I'll show you."

I kissed her, then and there, right in front of everybody.

~~~~**CHAPTER 8:** **NO, I'LL SHOW YOU end**~~~~

What's gonna happen now!?!?! OMG!!! **Another cliffie!!!** CONAN! Do you know what you're doing!?!?! Either way, GO GO! Sucks to be you, Mitsuhiko!!! Find out what happens in the next chapter!!!

**Longest chap so far!** This story is becoming more and more complicated. If this doesn't clear up soon, idiots like me won't be able to understand a thing.

Read and review please ^_^ I'm threatening you! Read and Review! Otherwise chap 9 won't be coming out for a long loooooooong while!

P.S. God, what's happening to me?


	10. SS Rock Bottom

Another Side Story!!! This one sucks, too, but who cares? Well... Maybe you do but... I can't think of chap 9 right now... So I did this instead...

Ehem! Another side story! But... **This S.S. is better than the last!** I swear!

By the way, thanks to dragoon-zerox for helping me with my fic, esp. chap 8! He rocks! Ehem, Author's POV:

"What? You mean, you like dragoon-zerox, too?"

"Yeah... He's so sweet and nice. You know, he helped me with my fanfic for a whole week."

"Really? I knew he was smart and all, but that was so nice of him to do that!"

Haha ^_^ Cheers!

And another cheers to MEP (Blood Red Topaz) for criticizing my work. Thanks! Hehe ^_^ Seems like your problems with chap 8 are expressions you couldn't understand. Gomen ne~.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Detective Conan. How many times do I have to say it?

~~~~**CHAPTER 8.5: S.S. ROCK BOTTOM**~MITSUHIKO'S POV~~~

I stared at Conan with contempt, as he was half-dragged, half-pulled by Ayumi-chan out of the room, Ran-san trailing after them. Everybody turned to me instead, asking me questions like,

"Did Conan-kun really kiss Haibara-san?"

"Why did you ask a question like that, Mitsubishi-kun?"

"Did Edogawa-kun say something, Tsuburaya-san?"

I ignored them all (especially the Mitsubishi part) and made up my mind to follow them. I got my bag and exited, leaving them to make more rumors.

As I left the school, I saw Conan-kun, Ayumi-chan and Ran-san in the distance. I ran after them and when I was close enough, I hid behind poles. I couldn't hear much, just a word or two. I wanted to go closer but I feared that they would see me.

"Know.... We...."

"Avoid..."

"Conan-kun... Yes..."

There were getting farther and farther away from me, so I was about to leave my hiding place and follow when Conan-kun suddenly stopped. The two girls were already a few steps away from him before they noticed that he had lagged behind. They walked back to him, worried looks on their faces, when Conan-kun spoke. I didn't hear what he said clearly, just the word "Koi."

_What is he asking them? Is he telling them about Haibara-san? _I was angry. Stalking and eavesdropping on people weren't really my hobby but I **had **to do this. _I **have **to get an answer._

I was still fuming when Ayumi-chan's voice snapped me back to reality. "Conan-kun!"

Conan-kun turned around to face her, opened his mouth to reply. I didn't hear his words, but they seemed to make Ayumi-chan agitated. She suddenly shouted, "Why didn't you ask **_ME_**, Conan-kun? _**I**_ can tell you was love is!!!"

Something clicked in my mind. _Does that mean Conan-kun asked Ran-san what love is? Is he **that**_ _dense?_

I was still thinking about that, when Conan-kun suddenly started laughing. _How could he possibly laugh at a time like this!?_

_"... _Ayumi-chan... Only twelve... How could _you_ know what love is?"

Her shoulders started shaking, and I knew that she was crying. "I know what love is, because I've loved you for the last five years!!!"

Even as she said this, Conan-kun didn't do anything. He just stood there, looking at her stupidly. _Why did Ayumi-chan have to fall in love with you!? She has ME!_

"Conan-kun wa baka!" With that, she turned around and ran away, passing by me. The bespectacled boy took a step after her, but then stopped and just looked at his feet. Anger burned inside of me. _Why don't you chase after her, stupid!?_

Then, I realized, _This my chance! My chance to prove to Ayumi-chan that I'm better than Conan! _I turned my heel and went after Ayumi.

I caught up to her near a mansion. (A mansion in Japan is something like an apartment) "Ayumi-chan!" I called out.

She ignored me and kept on running. I ran beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. She shook me away saying "Don't touch me!"

"Ayumi-chan... I..." I started, trying to be gentle.

She stopped running, but her tears didn't stop. "Conan-kun wa... Conan-kun wa..." she said, her voice quavering. I stayed by her side, listening to her. "Conan-kun wa... Baka!!!" She ran away again. I tried to follow but we had reached her apartment building and I couldn't get in.

I stood there for a while, pitying myself._ Why am I unable to do anything? Why is it always Conan-kun?_

I realized that no matter how much I pity myself, nothing would happen. So I walked away. On my way home, I passed by a ramen stall. It had only one customer, but I knew that person very well. "Genta-kun?"

He looked up from his bowl, saw me and greeted me with a smile. "Mitsuhiko! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you that myself Genta-kun! How could you possibly eat ramen at a time like this?"

"Well... That rumor... It doesn't really affect me, you know? It should just be Haibara and Conan. I don't even know why you bother them."

"Genta-kun," I started, losing my temper, "Do you know that Conan-kun made Ayumi-chan cry a while ago?"

He stopped eating for a second, looked at me and said, "He did?"

"Yes, Genta-kun, he did." I said the words slowly, as if speaking to a child.

He resumed eating and said, "So?"

I stood up, banging my fists on the table. "Genta-kun! Don't you even care!? Conan-kun made Ayumi-chan cry! Ayumi-chan!"

"Yeah, you just said that."

"I thought you liked Ayumi-chan..."

"Ah... Is this about that?" He smiled, looking up at the sky, as if remembering something nostalgic.

"Genta-kun?" I said with confusion.

"I told Okaa-chan about it. How I thought I liked Ayumi-chan. And what she told me... Made me realize..."

He trailed off. I waited for a few seconds but he didn't continue. "Made you realize what?"

He smiled again, looking so wise, that I respected him then more than anybody else in my life. "It made me realize..."

"Made you realize..?"

"That I love boiled eel more than Ayumi-chan!"

My respect for him hit rock bottom.

~~~~**CHAPTER 8.5: S.S. ROCK BOTTOM**~~~~

The reason for this is that I really REALLY can't imagine Genta like anything or anybody besides food. In other words, I can't imagine him standing up for Ayumi-chan. Hehe ^^ To the pro-Genta's out there, sorry ^_^. What do you think?

**Read and review please!**

Hmmm... When I wrote this story I was really energetic... Bored. But energetic. Why am I in depressed mode right now?


	11. Chotto Matte Kudasai

I update every 2 days, but I'm starting to lose inspiration, so... I'll slow down my pace and update maybe... every week? or every 2 weeks?

**Disclaimer: **Detective Conan doesn't belong to me. Why else do you think it's called **Fan**Fiction?

Note: I know, I know... Kobayashi-sensei's their first-grade teacher. But she was moved up to the sixth-grade's homeroom teacher.

Oh, by the way, please participate in my poll ^_^

~~~~**CHAPTER 9:** **CHOTTO MATTE KUDASAI**~HAIBARA'S POV~~~~

To a casual observer it might seem like I wasn't responding at all to the kiss. But I couldn't help it, my lips were quivering and I knew that he could tell that I wanted it as much as he did.

He pulled away, smiled saying, "Now you know."

Everybody seemed stunned by what he had done. Nobody moved. Nobody talked. I was still staring at him wide-eyed until I realized how out-of-character I was acting. _You did it again, Shinichi._ I regained my composure, flashed my trademark smirk, walked past him saying, "You owe me big time, tantei-kun," in a voice only he could hear.

I went to my seat and sat down, everybody staring at me in disbelief, until Kobayashi-sensei's voice broke the silence.

"Is something wrong? You guys are unusually quiet."

Everybody looked at each other, and it was agreed that they won't tell their sensei (teacher). "Nothing's wrong, sensei," Iinchou (class rep or class prez) said.

Kobayashi-sensei looked at them doubtfully, then shrugged. "If nothing's wrong then please take your seats. I'm going to take your attendance now. Oh, Ayumi-chan's mother called. It seems she has a cold and can't come to school."

At the mention of Yoshida-san, Tsuburaya-kun glared at Conan. He ignored the glare and went to his seat beside me. I heard him sigh in relief and smiled. _He's probably thinking_, _'Thank God she didn't see that little scene.'_

~~~~LUNCH BREAK TEITAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL~CONAN'S POV~~~~

RRRIIINNNGGG!!!

The bell rang, signaling the start of lunch break. I expected to crowd around us, asking questions like they did that morning, but they didn't. Our classmates pretty much stayed away, except for Mitsuhiko. He stalked towards me for the second time that day. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth and was about to say something, when some boys from our class took him by the arm.

"Let's play dodgeball! You come too, Mitsubishi-kun."

Mitsuhiko glared at them and struggled, but their grip didn't loosen.

"What do you want!?" he said as they pulled him away from us.

"We want to play dodgeball with you Mitsu-kun."

"Well, I have other things to do, so leave me alone!"

"I'm afraid we can't do that. We really, really want to play with you."

As they approached the door, one of them gave me a thumbs-up sign and mouthed 'good luck.' They practically dragged Mitsuhiko out of the room, kicking and screaming. I was wondering why he said 'good luck' when something clicked in my mind. I turned red, and looked at my seatmate through the corner of my eyes.

Haibara was opening her bento box. _I guess she didn't forget it this time_. I got my lunch and we ate in silence. Halfway through, I sneaked a peek at her and caught her staring at me. She blushed a little and looked away immediately.

My cheeks turned pink and I thought, _I do love her after all._ I smiled and tried to calm my heart, which was threatening to pound its way out of my ribcage.

"Ne, Ai...." I started.

This time, she just raised her eyebrow at me and said, "What?"

_She sure recovers fast. _I turned in my seat to fully face her. My heart was still pounding like crazy and my nervousness made me want to look away, but I didn't. I stared at her aquamarine eyes and my gaze didn't dare leave hers.

"Ai.... Omae no koto... s-" I was ready to confess then, ready to tell her my feelings, but then...

"Chotto matte kudasai!"

A/N: Roughly translated that would mean "Ai... I l-" (He was cut off saying I like/love you) and the next line would mean "Wait a moment!"

_What now? _I stopped, looked behind me and saw Mitsuhiko by the door. "Chotto... matte..." he repeated. The dodgeball guys were right behind him, panting just as much as he was.

"Gomen (sorry), Edogawa-kun. We couldn't hold him for long," the tallest boy said, looking at me apologetically. With that, he and his friends left and for the rest of lunch, Mitsuhiko stayed with us, practically breathing down my neck.

_I guess I'll just to wait 'til later...Damn Mitsuhiko._

~~~~AFTER CLASSES ON THE WAY HOME~~~~

Haibara and I were walking home, the silence between us not very comfortable. I stopped and decided to get my confession over with.

"Ne, Ai..." I said again, just as I did during lunch.

She raised her eyebrow at me again and said, "What?"

I looked at her eyes once more and said "Ai.... Omae no koto... s-"

"Chotto matte kudasai!"

_Oh God, not again._ I winced, and didn't look behind me, fearing that I was right about the identity of that voice. I was.

"Haibara-san, **Conan-kun**," the second word dripping with venom, "I want to walk you two home."

Haibara just looked at me and Mitsuhiko, then shrugged saying "Whatever," and started walking. The rest of the way home was filled with silence, with Mitsuhiko glaring at me every now and then.

By the time we arrived, even I was looking at Mitsuhiko with daggers in my eyes. "We're here," I said, "You can go now."

He didn't leave and Haibara just ignored the two of us and went straight inside. He finally moved, taking a step back then saying, "See you tomorrow, **Conan-kun**."

When he finally disappeared from sight, I let out a deep sigh, only then realizing just how tense I was. I entered the house, throwing my bag down and didn't care where it landed. I flopped down on the sofa thinking, _Now, now is the time. No way can Mitsuhiko disturb us now._

When I once again got ready to confess, I smelled something coming form the kitchen. I followed the scent and found Haibara cooking. She saw me and said, "Dinner will be ready in a half hour Shinichi. Get something to occupy your stomach before then."

As she said that, she removed the apron she was wearing and was about to walk past me when I caught her hand. "Ne, Ai..."

"What now, Shinichi?" she said with an amused smirk, as if she knows I've been trying to tell her something for the past 5 hours.

_This time. This time, **no one** can bother us._

"Ai.... Omae no koto... s-"

RRRIIINNNGGG!!!

The phone rang. But to my ears, its rings sounded a lot like,

'Chotto matte kudasai!'

~~~~**CHAPTER 9:** **CHOTTO MATTE KUDASAI end**~~~~

Who's the mystery caller? Is it Mitsuhiko, once again ruining Conan's confession?

Read and review!

Now, no need to read what comes next, but... aren't you wondering? What would've happened **if Conan was a Casanova **like Kaito? Hehe well....

**beginning~ **To a casual observer it might seem like I wasn't responding at all to the kiss. But I couldn't help it, my lips were quivering and I knew that he could tell that I wanted it as much as he did.

He pulled away, flashed a smile saying, "Now you know."

Silence. Then Mitsuhiko banged his fist against the nearest desk.

"J-j-just b-b-bec-c-cause y-you k-k-k-k-kissed h-h-her," Mitsuhiko stuttered, "d-d-doesn't m-mean a-anyt-t-thing!" He was trying to sound indignant, but he couldn't hide the fact that he was unnerved.

"Sure it means something," Conan said, a confident look on his face. He wrapped his arm around my neck and put his hand on my shoulder, pulling me closer. "A kiss is a sign of ownership. She's mine, so back off."

I was still staring at him with wide eyes when I realized how out of character I was acting. I regained my composure thinking, _You did it again, Shinichi. _I removed his hand from shoulder, smirking, then said, "I don't remember ever being yours, Conan."

Mitsuhiko's eyes widened even more, if that was possible.

The cocky detective beside me just gave an unfaltering smile, "You do now," he said, before claiming my lips once again. **~end**


	12. A Substitute

Hmmm... Not really sure if Conan calls his mom 'Okaa-san' but well... who cares? ^_^

**Disclaimer: **Detective Conan is not my property. I wish it were but it isn't and there's nothing I can do about it.

Woah! Long chap.... Not much happens, though... Just a lot of words...

**CHAPTER 10: ****A SUBSTITUTE~**YUKIKO'S POV

"Moshi moshi. Agasa residence."

I recognized the voice immediately and replied, "Ai-chan, is that you?"

"Shinichi no... Okaa-san? (Shinichi's Mom?)" A smile tugged on my lips. _They're on a first-name basis now. Good going, Shin-chan!_

"Are you looking for Shinichi? He's right here beside me."

"Wait, Ai-chan!"

"What is it?" she asked, but there was no trace of curiosity in her voice.

"Don't make any plans for Friday night, okay?" I just replied mysteriously.

~~~~CONAN'S POV~~~~

"What do you want?" I said as I gave a resigned sigh, taking the phone from Haibara. _Is God telling me not to confess? This must be the worst day of my life..._

"Shin-chan... Is that really the way to greet your beloved mother whom you haven't seen for years?" a hurt voice said.

_Sigh... Here we go again... _"We saw each other 6 months ago. That doesn't exactly count as years, does it?"

"Six months is a long time for a mother separated from her son," my mom said, still in that hurt actress tone of hers.

_Just cut the crap already. What do you want?_ That's what I thought but it's not what I said. If I did, God knows what kind of hell she'd put me through. "... Why did you call?"

Her hurt tone was replaced by a teasing one and she said, "Look out." I walked towards the window to look outside. My mom waved at me from Hakase's yard. I guess my surprise was apparent even from afar, because my mom started to giggle.

"You're unusually slow today, Shin-chan," she chuckled,"Why don't you invite me inside? You wouldn't want my phone bill rising, would you?"

"Even if it did, you still would have had the money to pay for it," I muttered. A thought occurred to me. I wanted to ask her something, but it wasn't really something I could say over the phone, or in front of Haibara who was still watching me. "Ummm... Let's talk at our house... There's... Something I want to ask you..."

"Something you can't say in front of Ai-chan?" she said teased.

"Wh-what!?" My cheeks turned red, and a curious but amused look appeared on Haibara's face.

"I know all about it." She mimicked my voice and whispered, "Ai... Omae no koto s-"

"H-how do you know that!?"

"Shin-chan," she said, a grin splitting her face, "I'm your mother. I should know who my son's latest love interest is."

My face was hot, and I had a feeling that if I looked in a mirror it'd be redder than a tomato. Haibara was still leaning by the doorway, a smirk on her face. _She probably knows what we're talking_ _about. Goddamit. If she does, why won't she just tell me she knows? It's possible she's doing this just to spite me. Does she even like me back? God... My thoughts don't even make sense anymore...  
_

"Shin-chan?" My mom's voice snapped me to attention, and I remembered what I wanted to do.

"So, umm... Listen. Go back to our house. We'll talk there." She was about to say something but I put the phone back in its cradle. I turned to Haibara and said, "Listen, my mom's home, and I gotta talk to her." I didn't stay to listen to her reply, if she even did. I just rushed out the door and grabbed my mom by the wrist, pulling her away.

"How long have you been here?" I asked, closing the door.

"Not even a welcome hug?" she asked teasingly. I frowned at her, my eyebrows meeting each other. "Hmmm... Starting Saturday."

"Saturday..." I repeated, trying to remember if anything significant happened then. "You mean-"

"Yup! The day you cried in the rain and hugged Ai-chan! That was a very passionate hug!"

"I-I wasn't r-really..." I said, a blush creeping to my cheeks.

"No need to hide it. Okaa-san knows everything," she said, smiling. Then her smile turned to a frown. "I'm glad you made progress but still... Damedayo, Shin-chan!"

"Dameda te... nani yo?"

A/N: 'Dameda' could mean 'Stop', 'Don't' or 'You shouldn't'. Now when Conan said 'Dameda te... nani yo?' it means 'What do you mean 'Dameda?'"

"A confession should be done in a special place. It should be memorable for the girl you're confessing to. It shouldn't be something you blurt out at impulse. And you should do it in a place where no one can bother you. You already tried confessing about three times today, right? Each and every time someone stopped you. Well... I guess that's a good thing. Now you can prepare for it."

I was silent for a moment, taking in what she said. "I... I guess so..." I replied hesitantly. I raised my eyes to meet hers. "So you're trying to say I should bring her somewhere special? Somewhere Mitsuhiko can't bother us and I can give her a memorable confession? Is there even such a pl-"

_The restaurant where I brought Ran!_

My mom looked at me critically. "I know what you're thinking, Shin-chan. You're thinking of bringing her to the place where your father proposed to me, right?"

"H-How did you know?"

She gave a small smile. "Living with your father for years has given me detective instincts as well. But I advice you against it." With the second sentence, her smile dropped, replaced by a stern expression.

"Why not?" I asked, pouting. _Do my ideas suck that much?_

"I don't think it's a good thing to bring her to a place where you brought Ran." My eyes widened at that. "It will make her seem like a s-"

"A substitute," I finished for her.

"I'm glad you understand."

"So you're trying to say I should bring her somewhere else?"

That teasing smile returned."You might not want me meddling in your affairs but I already reserved a restaurant for you on Friday. It's on the top floor of a hotel and they even have a garden on the rooftop. Now that's romantic! You two'll be the only people there. No obstructions, no-"

"Wait. We'll be the only people there?" I repeated.

"I reserved the whole restaurant!" she announced happily.

"That's great!" I said. I was about to say more, when a knock sounded on the door. We both looked at it, surprised, then it opened, revealing the face of my housemate. "Haibara?" I said, alarmed. _Did she hear what we were just talking about?_

She looked at us, expressionless, then said, "Dinner's ready." She turned to my mom and said, "Would you like to eat with us?"

My mom smiled. "I don't mind." She took my hand and said, "Let's go, Shin-chan."

I didn't really like the idea of her joining us for dinner. _She'll tease me like crazy. _I thought of a distraction, something that would make her change her mind. "What about dad? Didn't you come here with him? Do you want him to eat dinner alone?" I shot these questions one after another, seeming like I wasn't really asking for an answer.

She intentionally ignored the fact that she knew I didn't want her over. "Your father is attending a dinner conference right now. If I don't join you, then I'll have to eat alone. Besides, I don't want to refuse an invitation." She smiled at Haibara when she said the last sentence.

I gave a sigh, knowing that I had lost. We went back to Hakase's house, heading for the kitchen. We took our seats, my mom sitting next to me, Haibara across the table, and said, "Ittadakimasu."

The woman beside me took a bite, then stopped. "Ai-chan!" she exclaimed, "This tastes wonderful!"

Haibara seemed surprised for a moment, then smiled shyly. "Thank you."

_She's so cute, _I thought, then scolded myself for staring at her. The annoying woman who was my mom caught the stare and said to the shoujo (girl) I was looking at, "Your husband will be a very happy man."

Something tugged at Haibara's lips, a half-smile, half-smirk. "I sure hope so," she replied, "He is marrying _me_ after all."

They both laughed at that and for the rest of dinner, I kept sneaking peeks at her but my mom didn't say anything and I was grateful for that.

When we finished, Haibara started clearing the plates. I helped her and my mom stood back, watching the scene, not saying anything. When we finished, my mom said, "Thanks for having me over, Ai-chan."

The shoujo nodded at her and said, "It was a pleasure. Ja... Oyasuminasai. (Goodnight.)" With that, she climbed the stairs, leaving me alone with my mom.

I didn't say anything until I heard the soft 'click' of her bedroom door closing. I released the breath I was holding for some unknown reason, frowned a little and thought, _I know I love her and all, but it still kinda pisses me off to see that she actually has manners in front of everyone else._

Then something came to me. Something that caused me to lose my spirit and start to worry. I guess it was obvious because mom looked at me, a worried expression on her face. "What's wrong?"

I looked down, hiding my eyes with my hair, refusing to look at her. "Ne... Okaa-san..."

She knelt down to my height, trying to catch a glimpse of my eyes. "What is it, Shin-chan?"

"I'll be confessing to her and all, right? But..." I trailed off, not knowing if I should continue.

"But?"

I raised my head, looking at her. My eyes must have been full of worry, because the lines on her forehead deepened. "But..." I continued, "What if she rejects me?"

Her frown disappeared and she sighed with relief. "Is that it? Is that what you're worrying about?" she asked gently.

I nodded, confused at why she would act like that. She smiled and said, "Do you remember what I told you before? I told you 'The only reason girls would stare at a boy-unless they have something on their face-would be because they like him."

I blinked, still not getting what she meant. "What are you implying?" I asked.

"During dinner, Ai-chan stared at you five times."

I blinked twice. "Eh..? Then you mean..."

"Yup. I'm sure Ai-chan likes you, too." Then, in a teasing tone, she added, "But I think you like her more than she likes you. Because you stared at her seven times."

I blushed, my cheeks three shades of pink. But I thought of something once again and that thought made me worry even more.

"But... Okaa-san..."

"Hmmm?"

"I... I asked her 'Do you like me?' ... And... she said..." I mimicked Haibara's voice, "Don't flatter yourself, Kudo-kun."

My mom laughed a little. "That's a perfect imitation of Ai-chan," she exclaimed softly. Then she calmed down and said, "But think about what you just said, Shin-chan."

"Eh?"

"Don't flatter yourself... Isn't exactly a no is it?"

"Well... no..."

"And even if it were, think about it."

I stared at her for a moment, not understanding. Then, realization dawned on me. "You mean-"

"Yup."

I smiled a little. _Then I guess there's no problem now._ "Hey, it's past eight. It's about time you go," I said, starting my annoyed son act.

"Aww... Can't I stay for a while longer?" she responded, getting into the act.

We argued for a while, but my thoughts were elsewhere.

_I promise you Haibara Ai. You're definitely not... a substitute._

**CHAPTER 10: A SUBSTITUTE**** end~~~~**

Read and review please!

Preview: Confrontation! With Mitsuhiko? With Ayumi? Don't ask me. (Even I don't know) Haha ^_^ Look forward to it.

Oh, and please read my other story **Soap Opera**. I swear it's not a tear-jerker. It might seem like it due to the title but it's not. It's not even directly about soap operas. It's a Conan x Ai fic. Only 3 chaps long. (But I haven't uploaded chap 2 yet) **Please waste your time and read it!**


	13. I'm Shutting Up Now

Review and Read! Haha ^_^ I always wondered why it was read first. Now try reviewing before you read! haha ^_^ Just kidding!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Detective Conan. I wish I did, but I don't. And even if I did, DC probably wouldn't get this much fans.

~~~~**CHAPTER 11: I'M SHUTTING UP NOW**~CONAN'S POV~~~~

Haibara and I walked to school together. I was sneaking peeks at her, like I did during dinner. I knew I had to get it over with. I had to ask her out Friday night, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. One wrong move and she'll tease me like crazy (again).

_How should I ask her? No matter what I do, it'll always seem like a date. I mean, I think she has an idea that I like her, but I'm sure she'll give me a hard time if I say it straight out. How should I... Wait! _(insert a light bulb above his head)

"Ne, Ai..." I started.

"What is it?" she asked, looking ahead.

"Do you remember when I uh..." My cheeks turned red. "k-kissed you at school?"

"How could I possibly forget?" she said.

"What?" I stopped walking and stared at her.

Her eyes met mine, and I couldn't look away."Whenever I see you, and my heart starts pounding so fast and my breathing becomes uneven. We live under the same roof, spending almost every minute together... How could I possibly forget?"

I blushed even more. _She liked me all this time? I'm such an idiot! I never noticed those signs!_

"Just kidding."

Her words rang out, intruding into my thoughts. _Just kidding._

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

_God, I **AM** such an idiot! She teases me day in and day out. How could this time be any different? _I sighed at how gullible I am, the second greatest sigh in history. _I find it hard to believe I actually fell in love with her. _I smiled. _I guess I should just get it over with._

"You said I owed you, right?"

"Not owed, tantei-kun, owe. It's present tense. You haven't done anything to repay that debt."

"Hai hai." I conceded, deciding to just let her be as sarcastic as she wants. "So I was thinking..."

"You were!? What a great improvement! Never in my greatest dreams could I have imagined that your brain would finally work!" she exclaimed with mock surprise.

I heaved the greatest sigh in DC fanfic written history (haha). My patience was wearing thin. "Could please just shut up and listen?" I said in my I'm-getting-mad-so-if-you-say-another-word-I'm-going-to-kill-you voice.

"I'm just following your advice, tantei-kun. I'm speaking more often." By this time I was clenching hands into fists. _Can't she tell that I'm trying to say something important? _Obviously she doesn't get it, or chooses to ignore it.

She suddenly held my hand, unfolding my fingers from the fists that had formed. I looked up at her, surprised, my irritation forgotten. She smiled and said quietly, "I'm shutting up now."

Her hand was cold, but for some strange reason, it made mine feel warm. _How could she do this to me? I was mad at her just a minute ago... _I just kept staring at her, not saying a word. She cocked her head to the side as if to say 'Start talking.'

"So, well, as I was saying..." I said, trying my best to keep from blushing (which was futile since I already was), "I owed you, right? So I was thinking of... Taking you out for dinner this Friday..."

She smirked, and no words were spoken, but I could tell what she was trying to say. 'Don't think that a cheap fastfood joint would satisfy me.'

Her unsaid words made me flustered. "I-It's not like that! I know I owe you. Big time! And it's not gonna be cheap! I swear! I wouldn't dare make it cheap! Why would I!? It's where I'm gonna con-"

I stopped dead, my entire face red (dunno if it's from all the talking or what I just said). She raised her eyebrow, the smirk on her face getting wider by the second. 'Go on,' she told me, without saying a thing.

"It's nothing..." I mumbled. Then made up my mind to pretend that my blunder never happened. "So, can you go?"

She looked away, making all sort of communication impossible (even the telepathy we've been doing so far). "Oi, Haibara!"

She sneaked a peek at me, and that short moment told me, 'I'm not allowed to speak so...'

I frowned, annoyed at how annoying she was getting. (This proves that her being annoying was effective ^_^). "Fine, you can speak now," I said.

She released my hand. Unconsciously, I had gotten used to it and I became a little sad that she let go. She turned to me and said, "I can't go."

"What!?" _She doesn't have anything to do on Friday... does she? I'm sure she wants to collect that so-called debt... So why is she refusing?_ "Do you... have anything planned then?" I asked hesitantly.

"Nope. Nothing at all."

"What!?" My mind raced, trying to think of a million possible reasons why she would decline, but nothing came up. "Then why?" I demanded, almost desperate.

She looked at the sky and said, "Oh, no reason. Just that your mom told me not to make any plans for Friday night."

I cursed inwardly. _Damn that woman. She ruined everything. But she told Ai not to make plans because of me! Why? Why must it be the same reason for her to say no!? This must be the second worst day of my life. _(P.S. The first was back in chap 9, with Mitsuhiko's CMK)

"Ai, you don't need to listen to her!" I was almost begging, but my pride stopped me. Not to mention, it would've been very embarrassing and very obvious that I was gonna confess.

A teasing light appeared in her eyes. "I don't need to but I want to."

The thin line that was my patience finally snapped. "God! Why can't you just be good girl like Ayumi and obediently say yes at times like this!?"

The teasing light disappeared, replaced by a hurt look. I blinked, unsure of if it really was hurt. When I opened my eyes, it was just the usual irritation. "If you want a good girl who would obediently say yes, then why don't you ask Ayumi?"

She walked off, no, stormed off. I then realized what I just said and ran to catch up to her. I grabbed her by the hand. She tried pulling away, but I was unwilling to let go. "Listen Ai, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? There's no reason for you to apologize," she snapped.

I bit my lip, mad at my rash actions. Then, I looked at her, trying to ask forgiveness through my eyes. I couldn't get my message across, though, because she refused to look at me. I heaved the third greatest sigh in history (the three greatest sighs in one day!), and pulled her to me. She was caught off-guard and had no time to resist.

I hugged her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. "I'm really sorry," I whispered in her ear. "Forgive me?"

She struggled, trying to push me away, but I held my ground. "I didn't mean what I just said. I don't want Ayumi. It can't be Ayumi." She stopped struggling.

"It has to be you. It has to be the arrogant, sarcastic, smartass Haibara Ai. So... Please?"

I pulled away a little to see her face. A small smile graced her lips and she whispered, "Baka... (Idiot)"

"I know." I grinned at her. "The egotistical, cocky, selfish Shinichi Kudo is asking you out on a date. So, please?"

Her cheeks turned pink for a moment, but it quickly disappeared, making me wonder if my eyes were playing tricks on me. "Fine," she said reluctantly. "Can you let me go now?"

I blushed, immediately releasing her. I avoided her eyes, thinking of something to distract her. "Uh, yeah, right. Come on, let's go. We shouldn't be late for school," I said, immediately changing the subject. I started running towards school, Haibara a few steps behind me.

~~~~**CHAPTER 11: I'M SHUTTING UP NOW end**~~~~

**The title should have been 'The Arrogant, Sarcastic, Smartass Haibara Ai' but it was too long.** haha ^_^

I know I said that the next chap would have been the confrontation, but this nagged me at the back of my mind. Haha ^_^ Besides, I don't like confrontations, in stories or in real life... They always end with at least one person walking away mad or crying... And so, I'm trying to postpone writing it for a while. But still, confrontations are inevitable, so I guess the next chapter it will be.


	14. You Know It's Your Fault

**Disclaimer: **Do I even have to say it?

.... a moment of silence... *drops down to knees and begs for forgiveness* I know! I'm sorry! I said confrontation next chap and then this is what I do! It's just that... I really REALLY hate confrontations... and I'm unconsciously trying to postpone them. *grins dumbly*

~~~~**CHAPTER 12:** **YOU KNOW IT'S YOUR FAULT**~AYUMI'S POV~~~~

Not wanting to be in anyone's company, I walked to school alone. I didn't even want to go, but my mother prodded me out of bed, saying that I shouldn't skip school, that one day was enough for me to get over it. She didn't know, I didn't tell her. But I guess somehow she felt it. That the reason for my depression was...

Walking alone calmed me down a little. More than sulking in my room. I thought about it and I realized that maybe, just maybe, Conan-kun didn't know what to do. That's why he didn't follow me. And that the rumor didn't have any truth in it.

I decided to pretend that everything was all right.

I walked through the door of my classroom, put on a smile and was about give a cheery "Ohayou! (Good morning)' when I heard something that stopped me cold.

"That was brave of Edogawa-kun! Kissing Haibara-san in front of everybody."

"I guess that just shows how much he likes her."

I dropped the smile I was wearing, freezing by the doorway. Mitsuhiko-kun noticed me arrive and walked over. "Ohayou, Ayumi-chan."

I wanted to believe in Conan-kun. I really wanted to believe in him. But I had to make sure, so I asked Mitsuhiko-kun. I tried acting normal, without my smile. "Mitsuhiko-kun... Did Conan-kun... To Ai-chan..." I started out hesitantly, then said it all in one big breath. "Did Conan-kun really kiss Ai-chan?"

I looked at his face. He had on a pained expression. It told me the one thing I didn't want to know. Tears formed, but I blinked them away. I told myself again that maybe, just maybe, everything was just one big mistake. That maybe Conan-kun didn't want to kiss her, that he was forced to do so. I put my bag in my usual seat, and started asking around.

~~~~CONAN'S POV~~~~

We ran the rest of the way to school. Though I was panting by the time we arrived, still, a smile was plastered on my face.

_I'm going out with Ai this Friday! Ai held my hand! I hugged Ai!_ These thoughts went through my mind in no particular order, over and over again. I knew I was being childish, but I couldn't help it. I was giddy with delight.

The grin I was wearing could have easily split my face, but it quickly disappeared when we entered the classroom. Mitsuhiko was glaring at me, his eyes burning. "You're such a jerk, Conan-kun," he hissed at me.

_I know he's mad at me for kissing Haibara, but that's really no reason to call me a jerk... Is it?_

That's when I these words reached me. "Ne... For someone who's supposed to have confessed to Conan-kun, _she_'s acting pretty normal... Don't you think?" It was said in whispers, but my sensitive ears heard them. I knew immediately who they were talking about. My eyes quickly scanned the classroom, looking for _her_.

She was where she normally sat, talking to her seatmates as she usually did. I found it weird, thinking that she should have been more depressed, considering the way Mitsuhiko treated me. _I'd understand why he'd call me a jerk... If Ayumi-chan was crying or sulking... But she's not... So why...?_

'You know it's your fault.' I recognized that voice. It was the one that nagged me back in Chapter 6. (haha. I know Conan wouldn't say that but... ^_^)

_Not entirely... And... He doesn't have to make such a big deal about it. **She** was the one who started it, blurting out her confession right in the middle of the street, _I retorted._  
_

'But you did nothing. You just stared at her as she ran away, looking like the dumb guy you really are.'

_That doesn't make any sense. I never asked her to like me in the first place._

'Even if you didn't, she still liked you. You were aware of it, but feigned ignorance.'

_Well, duh! If I told her straight out 'I know you like me' that would make me seem like some arrogant brat!_

'And... you aren't?'

"Just shut up, will you!?" I shouted. Everyone turned to look at me. Even my seatmate, who didn't pay attention to anybody, was giving me this look that said, 'I'm starting to regret agreeing to go out with you.'

_Oh God, I actually said it out loud._

"Conan-kun, that's a very impolite thing to say," said Kobayashi-sensei as she entered the room. "And very unnerving, considering you weren't talking to anyone."

I put on my most apologetic look and bowed my head. "Gomenasai. (Sorry)"

"As long as you understand." Sensei smiled and turned to the rest. "Listen class, words like 'shut up' are considered impolite and would be an insult to the person you are talking to. They carry a message saying 'I don't want to listen to you' and most people would interpret this thinking that you are ill-bred. Understand?"

"Hai," the class replied. Kobayashi-sensei, looking satisfied, started to take attendance. Haibara gazed at me, seeming to ask, 'Who were you just talking to?'

"Aliens were trying to communicate with me and they were getting annoying," I whispered sarcastically.

She raised her eyebrow. 'You really expect me to buy that?'

"I was just... Having an argument with myself," I admitted reluctantly.

"Edogawa Conan!" the teacher called out.

I responded immediately, not wanting to be scolded for the second time that day. "Present!" When I turned back to my seatmate, she was looking away. And that was the end of that.

~~~~LUNCH BREAK TEITAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL~~~~

Nobody was blaming me for anything, if you didn't count Mitsuhiko. So I was kinda confused why I was feeling guiltier by the second.

_You can't keep that person hanging forever._

Ran's words echoed through my mind, turning my guilt into determination. _I can't keep her hanging forever._

The dodgeball guys were keeping Mitsuhiko busy, so I seized the opportunity to walk towards Ayumi (hey, that rhymes!). I couldn't tell if she was ignoring me. She wasn't wearing her headband and her hair was covering most of her face.

"Ne, Ayumi-chan..." I said, in the gentlest voice I could manage. I was gonna reject her, sure, but I didn't want any waterworks because of it.

She was ignoring me and I didn't know what to say next so I just kept standing there, hoping she'd notice me. I waited for what seemed like years, but was probably just a few seconds. I tried to take her hand and she finally looked up at me, smiling. "Ne, Conan-kun..." she whispered.

I smiled gently and said, "Nan (what is it), Ayumi-chan?"

"There's... something I want to ask you..." she said, clearly this time.

I chuckled, trying to calm my nerves. "What a coincidence. 'Cause there's something I want to tell you. It's not something I want others to hear... So would you come with me?"

Her smile wavered, and in her eyes was a faint fear, fear of rejection. I wanted to assure her, to rid those eyes of that fear, but I couldn't. The only way was to tell her I wasn't going to reject her, which was exactly what I was gonna do.

I squeezed her hand, not knowing if I was trying to give or get support. "Let's go," I said with my most reassuring smile.

_Rejection hurts._ I was thinking of Ran's words as I brought Ayumi to the rooftop.

~~~~**CHAPTER 12: YOU KNOW IT'S YOUR FAULT end**~~~~

Hope you liked this chap! The nagging voice makes his comeback! haha ^_^

**Review please!** (you guys are probably sick of hearing this but if i say don't review.... and you actually dont... that'll make me depressed...)


	15. Bother to What?

**Disclaimer: **I was only about one or two years old when DC debuted. You actually expect me to own it?

~~~~**CHAPTER 13: BOTHER TO WHAT?**~CONAN'S POV~~~~

I brought Ayumi to the rooftop, thinking that it was the most private and, well, controversial place in the entire school, considering it's where _that_ particular rumor started. Letting go of her hand, I walked over to the edge of the rooftop and looked up at the sky. "Gomen (sorry), Ayumi-chan."

"What?" she said, almost in a whisper.

"I made you cry yesterday. Gomen." This time, I turned to her, leaning back against the railing.

"Conan-kun..."

"Ayumi-chan... Listen, I..." I was gonna tell her, that I loved Haibara, that she should give up on me, that we should stop this game of so-called love. But she cut me off, refusing to listen to my words.

"Ai-chan doesn't love you! She can't love you! She promised me!" she shouted, her eyes brimming with tears. "She promised me... So just give up on her.... You have me, Conan-kun. **Me**!"

What she was saying was exactly the same thing I was worried about. But somehow, it didn't disturb me the way it did the night before. I took a deep breath, realizing that no matter what her answer would be, it didn't matter. "Even if she doesn't love me back... I don't care."

"Conan-kun..." She took a few steps back. One might say that she didn't really understand, but I knew better. It's not that she didn't understand, she didn't **want** to understand. Perhaps it was too much for her, she was only twelve after all. "Conan-kun wa baka!" With that she ran away, closing the door with a slam.

I would've gone after her, in fact I've already taken a few steps, but the nagging voice came back and it told me this. 'Leave her be.' I frowned, not agreeing. Not that I ever did, it seemed to me like all I ever did with that voice was argue. That, and nothing else.

'Someday, somehow, even if you don't do anything more, she'll understand.'

_What makes you say that? _Though his words were a bit confusing, they're actually making sense. But I didn't want to just agree with it, after all this time.

'She's a smart girl. She'll understand,' it repeated. 'Or... Don't you trust her?'

_Well, of course I trust her. But I..._

'Don't worry. Somebody **will** help her. That somebody won't be you, of course.'

_And why won't it be? _I asked, a little annoyed.

'Do you honestly think you're actually fit for the position, egotistical, cocky, selfish Shinichi Kudo?'

~~~~SIXTH GRADE CLASSROOM~3RD PERSON POV~~~~

"Mitsu-kun, dousuru? (what would you do?)" asked the tallest of the dodgeball boys, presumably their leader.

"Dousuru te... nani yo?" he replied, an annoyed expression on his face. "Never mind, I don't care. Just leave me alone."

The leader raised his eyebrow, very much like a certain shrunken scientist does. "Do you really think you have the right to be annoyed right now? Do you really think you're in any position to tell us," he mimicked Mitsuhiko's voice, in a girlish tone, "'Just leave me alone'?"

"What do you want?" he asked, glaring at them.

One of the shorter kids grinned as he leaned back in his chair. "We don't want anything, Mitsubishi-kun. We just want to know what you'll do."

"The name's Mitsuhiko," he said through gritted teeth. "And wanting to know doesn't count as _nothing_, pea brains."

Another kid grabbed him by collar and hissed, "We're trying to be nice to you, so just suck it up."

"Chill, man," said their leader. The kid reluctantly relaxed his grip and Mitsuhiko was able to pull away. "You, too, Mitsu-kun." He smiled, as if not sensing the tension between his group and the freckled boy. "We just want to know what'll happen, now that you've pretty much upset the three most popular kids in class."

"The three most pop-" His fiery gaze disappeared."You mean Haibara-san, Conan-kun and Ayumi-chan?"

"Yup, the three most popular kids, exactly in that order. In fact Haibara-san and Conan-kun are the two most popular kids in **school**." He cocked his head. "Either way, you **do** know you've upset them, don't you? I mean, I don't think you're **that** clueless."

Mitsuhiko dropped his gaze and started looking for excuses. "But-but Haibara-san... Haibara-san's not upset," he exclaimed, looking in her direction.

The dodgeball boys looked at Haibara, who was silently eating her lunch alone. They stared for a moment, thinking 'How could every move she makes be so graceful?' in their own ways. It was the leader who snapped out of his thoughts first.

"I think she is, Mitsu-kun," turning his back to the topic at hand. "She's just good at hiding her feelings. Have you ever seen her mad or upset before? Has she ever shown you a face that nobody else has seen? Told you a secret no one else knows?"

"Well... no..." he reluctantly admitted.

"What about Edogawa-kun?"

Mitsuhiko had a confused look on his face. "What about him?"

"Don't you think she has shown him her feelings unmasked? Told him things even you don't know?"

"Th-That's i-impossible!" Mitsuhiko stuttered.

"I don't think it is," the leader said confidently."They're always together, haven't you noticed? Even though they're with you, there's some kind of invisible wall that separates you and them."

"I-I d-don't believe you!" he shouted.

His shout burst the others out of their bubble and they dragged their attention back to Mitsuhiko. The second shortest one piped up, "Why do you even bother, Tsuburaya-kun?"

He regained his fiery look and and glared at him. "Bother to what?"

The kid blinked at him, being slower than most kids his age. "Bother to confess. I mean, you've been with her all this time, why wait five whole years? Do you even really like her?"

"O-Of course I do! I... I..." He seemed really confused and for a moment, a satisfied look crossed the leader's face, as if making Mitsuhiko confused was his reason for starting the conversation. He clapped the slow boy on the shoulder and said, "Come on, guys, we still have a few minutes. Let's play dodgeball!" leading them away.

As they headed towards the field, leaving him staring off into space, trying to make sense of his thoughts and feelings, Conan walked in. He didn't even notice, showing just how at loss he really is.

~~~~**CHAPTER 13: BOTHER TO WHAT?end**~~~~

Short chap, I know. The next one will be longer! **Keep the reviews coming!**

**alexzhou04**: Even the US millitary satellite can't track me down. haha ^_^

**MEP**: hmmm... I'm kinda dense, so i didn't really see any difference between the first 3 chaps and previous 2... thanks for the praise anyway. ^_^ By the way, just think of me as 'undefined'. that way you won't have to worry about the man/woman thing.

**ME**: whoops! sorry. actually that sentence used to be _they_, the whole class mad at him, but that was changed. I overlooked it. ^_^ Thanks!

**lisette**: I can't find your account so I'll just answer here. 'Oyasuminasai' means 'Good night.' The Professor last name is Agasa. His first name is Hiroshi. And the 'Okaa-chan...' line is said by Genta. Sorry, not much Ayumi x Conan x Ran... Don't like those couples very much : P

**PREVIEW: **ummm... what IS gonna happen next? *scratches head*


	16. Some Childish Crush

This chap focuses more on Ayumi and Mitsuhiko, and how they'll get over everything that has happened. Not much Conan and Ai, but hey, the confession's nearing. In the story it's Wednesday, just two more days to go!

**Disclaimer**: There's no need to say it, right?

Note: Japanese traditionally finish meals with "Gochisousama" and start with "Ittadakimasu." "Irrasshaimase" means welcome (mostly said in shops). "Taisho" is what you usually call the master in traditional Japanese restaurants (well, in this case, it's only a stall, but, who cares?). And yes, I know, the shopping district is usually where _food_ is bought but hey, am I not allowed to put some hardware stores or something there?

~~~~**CHAPTER 14:** **SOME CHILDISH CRUSH**~CONAN'S POV~~~

I walked over to my seat, glad that Mitsuhiko was not paying me any attention. Not that I was mad at him. I wasn't, just a little annoyed. But I do wish that he'd give up on Haibara and stop being so ridiculous.

"Yo, Haibara," I greeted her as I sat on my desk.

She ignored me, just went on eating her lunch. I grinned, swiped a shrimp tempura from her bento and took a bite. She raised her head and finally looked at me. "Just because you forgot your lunch, doesn't give you any reason to eat mine," she said.

I just smiled innocently and took the chopsticks from her, blushing a little when her hand and mine touched. I helped myself to her food. She was half-way done and I ate what was left. When I finished, I tried to hide my face from her view and took a glimpse of her. She didn't seem mad, so I pasted that smile back on my face and put her bento box down with a "Gochisousama."

She had on an amused expression. "Kobayashi-sensei was right."

I cocked my head to the side, asking "About what?"

"People who say 'shut up' **are** ill-bred. They go around eating other people's bentos without asking." She shrugged, dropping the topic. "I'm going to the shopping district later."

"I'll come with you," I said automatically. Then I paused. "What for?"

She looked at me curiously. "Did I forget to tell you? Hakase called yesterday. It seems he ordered something from a couple of stores and it's going to arrive today. He wants me to pick it up."

"Why would he want it now? Can't he pick it up when he gets home?" I asked.

She frowned a little, as if trying to remember her conversation with the Professor. "He said something about rival and being first. I'm not really sure, he was talking so fast I didn't understand much of what he was saying. Well, he did leave a list behind. He told me where it was and asked me to pick up the things written on it."

I blinked once, twice, and decided to conclude that as 'one of the times Hakase goes nuts with his inventions.'

RRRIIINNNGGG!!! (yes, it's the bell)

~~~~AFTER CLASS TEITAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL~AUTHOR'S POV~~~~

During afternoon classes, Mitsuhiko was not himself and Ayumi was avoiding Conan. That was to be expected of course, considering what happened during lunch. Either way, classes had just ended and Haibara and Conan left together, heading for the shopping district.

When they were gone, Ayumi heaved a sigh. _What am I doing? _she asked herself. _I'm being so immature, acting like this._

She picked up her bag, leaving the school with a bitter smile. On her way out, she bumped into a woman who seemed to be in her late twenties. "Gomenasai," said the woman, holding out her hand. "Daijoubu? (Are you okay?)"

When the girl took her hand, she helped her pull herself up. That's when she noticed who the shoujo was. "Ayumi-chan?" she asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Onee-chan?" Ayumi replied. "What are you doing here?"

Yukiko smiled when she said 'onee-chan.' "I came to pick up Shi- I mean, Conan-kun. Have you seen them?"

Her gaze dropped and she didn't answer for a moment. When she looked up, her face had on what was obviously a forced smile. "Conan-kun left with Ai-chan a few minutes ago."

Yukiko, though sensing the girl's low spirit, acted as if nothing was wrong. "Oh, that's a shame..." Then she brightened. "Hey, how about you come with me?"

"Eh?" Ayumi seemed surprised.

"There's this cake shop a few minutes from here that I wanted to try out. But I didn't want to go alone." Ayumi opened her mouth to politely decline the invitation but didn't get to say a word. Yukiko smiled at her, taking her by the hand. "It's my treat, okay?"

Ayumi might've resisted more, but as they say 'misery loves company,' so she probably needed someone to talk to. She let herself be led away.

~~~~CAKE SHOP~AYUMI'S POV~~~~

The walk took about ten minutes, a lot of time to start a conversation. But Onee-chan didn't say a thing. I didn't try to look at her, kept my stare at the ground, but still I was wondering why she wasn't asking. It must've been obvious to her that something was wrong.

We arrived at the shop. It was a cheery little store, with a few customers inside. Onee-chan smiled at me but didn't enter the building. Instead, she took a seat by an outdoor table shaded by an umbrella. I followed her lead.

A waitress approached, handing us a menu. "Irrasshaimase! May I take your order?"

Onee-chan gave it a quick glance and said, "A strawberry shortcake and orange juice for me." She turned to me. "How about you, Ayumi-chan?"

"Ummm... The same for me," I said awkwardly.

The waitress said, "I'll be back with your order." She walked away, leaving the two of us alone. I looked at my companion, but her eyes were closed and she was humming.

Carrying a tray, the waitress came back. She put it on our table, leaving with a smile and a 'Please enjoy!" I took a bite of the sweet cake, still waiting for onee-chan to speak. But she didn't say anything. I kept eating, bite after small bite, but she kept silent, except for her consistent humming. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and blurted out, "I... I... I like Conan-kun!"

She looked only mildly curious. "Hmmm..."

"I-I liked him," I stuttered, "E-ever since we first met, but he...He... Even though five years has passed... He hasn't noticed it..."

She smiled in that comforting way only mothers can, and somehow that smile made me calmer. "I think," she started out, "Conan-kun is the type of person who doesn't understand love much. He's a pretty dense boy." She chuckled. "I don't think he didn't know of your little crush on him. Just that he didn't know how to react. He may be smart but he's clueless when it comes to stuff like that."

"I... I guess so..."

"So, what do you like about him?" That made me pause. Not that it was out of line. It was still related to the topic, but I never expected anybody to question me about my love for Conan. It made me think, _What do I like about him?_

"He-he's cool. And-and nice. And he's smart, he can do things nobody else can do. He's saved us a lot of times," I was on a roll, telling her all about Conan's good traits. She just sat there quietly, listening to every word. I talked for a few more minutes before realizing how shameless I must seem. "Ummm... So I... I..."

I didn't know what to say to cover up my embarrassment, but thankfully, she didn't seem to mind.

"Ne, Ayumi-chan. Shitteru? (Did you know?)" she asked, putting her elbow on the table, cradling her head in her left hand. "That a crush comes from the surface stuff you know about a person? You like him because of the things he chose to show you, the shallow impression you have of him. You think of him as cool, or handsome or whatever it is that attracted you but... Is that really true love?"

I was silent for a moment, taking in what she just said. Then it occurred to me that she's trying to tell me was...

"You think my feelings for Conan-kun is just some childish crush!?" I shouted. I blushed, noticing that some people had turned to look at us. "Sorry," I muttered.

~~~~A FEW MINUTES EARLIER TEITAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GATE~MITSUHIKO'S POV~~~

I wasn't acting normal. I knew that. Even the teachers were giving me strange looks, since I wasn't paying attention in class like I usually do. It's just that... I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to think. That conversation with the dodgeball boys has turned me into a big mess.

I left my body on auto-pilot, arranging my things, picking up my bag, heading for the gate. The usual. It was for the better I guess, that I'm in this sort of condition. When I got angry at Conan-kun, my mind was crystal clear, yet, now that I look back on it, I guess I was blinded by that anger. I didn't think of the consequences of my actions.

_If it weren't for me, Conan-kun wouldn't have had to kiss Haibara-san in front of everybody. If it weren't for me, nobody would know that Ayumi-chan cried when she confessed to Conan-kun. If it weren't for me, things wouldn't have turned out like this._

I was depressed. That much was obvious. But I never really knew what it was like to drown in self-pity. _I guess I know now._

"... i... itsu... ko..._"_

I kept walking, not really aware of my surroundings. I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice the hand on my shoulder, well, until it started shaking me. "Oi, Mitsuhiko!"

I snapped out of my reverie. I looked in the direction of the voice, surprised when I saw that it was the familiar face of my childhood friend. "Genta-kun?"

He grinned that carefree grin of his. "Yo."

I looked at him and smiled bitterly. "Even you must hate me now, huh?" I said, not really expecting an answer.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" he asked, his eyes telling me that he really didn't know. "Anyway, there's something I want to show you. Let's go!"

"B-But Genta-kun I-" That was all I could get out since Genta-kun started running and his hand was still on my shoulder. I dropped my bitter smile, deciding that, even just for a moment, I'll pretend nothing's wrong and relish the time I have with my friend.

We ran for a while, maybe about three minutes. This surprised since Genta was not used to physical activities, and he was usually the one who was against them. But my surprise disappeared when I saw where we were heading. It was a ramen stall, the same place he was eating when he revealed to me that he loved boiled eel more than Ayumi-chan.

He pushed me into the bench, sitting down beside me. "Taisho, I'll have two of the usual!" he called out.

"Genta-kun, what is this for?" I asked.

He blinked at me, then said "Okaa-chan told me." He grinned. "That eating will change your depression into happiness." Two bowls of ramen appeared. "I don't know what's wrong, but I don't want my friends depressed," he said before starting to eat.

My small smile grew bigger. _You don't know how happy your innocent actions make me, Genta-kun._ I started eating and discovered why Genta was always at this stall. "Oishi! (delicious)" I exclaimed. I finished it just a few seconds after Genta did.

Seeing the smile back on my face, Genta seemed satisfied. He turned to the Taisho and said, "I'll pay as usual."

_Isn't he going to eat more? _"Ne, Genta-kun, we're leaving?"

He turned to me, an apologetic expression on his face. "Gomen. Okaa-chan asked me to run an errand and I have to go."

"Then why-" _Why did you bother to spend time with me? _That was what I was going to ask, when I remembered what he just said. _I don't want my friends depressed._

"Ja ne," he said, leaving. I looked at his retreating back and whispered, "Arigatou."

I picked up my bag, and was about to head for home, when I heard a familiar voice say, "You think my feelings for Conan-kun is just some childish crush!?"

I stopped cold, earlier events coming back to haunt me. "I never said that Ayumi-chan. But if you knew more about him on a personal level, do you think your feelings for him will stand?" a voice replied.

I recognized that voice and when I turned to look in their direction, I saw Ayumi-chan and Conan's relative talking. I knew that eavesdropping was wrong, but somehow, I couldn't make myself leave.

"Bu-but... That crush can become true love right? I-If I tell him I like him, then maybe, maybe he'll like me back!"

_Ayumi-chan..._

"I don't think there's a big chance of that happening, if you just confess out of the blue. If you're going to tell a boy your feelings, I think it's better to wait until the other person shows that they feel the same way for you before expressing your feelings. If they feel anything for you then they would share things with you that nobody else knows or they know you don't know. They share a lot of personal things without you having to even ask them about it. That shows they trust you. And that maybe, they like you back."

Ayumi-chan just kept looking at her, absorbing the knowledge she was sharing. I was doing the same, even though they were not directed at me.

Conan's relative smiled, as if contented with Ayumi-chan's reaction. She sat back in her chair, looking at the sky not covered by the umbrella. "I think..." She started talking again, "I think you need to try to get to know the other person better.

"When you're truly in love with someone, little to no words are needed to express things since you understand what the other is trying to say right away. I don't mean clinging to him, not letting him go, but just getting him to open up willingly without having to do much."

She paused for a bit. "Have you ever seen two people like that? Two people who are close enough that they are able to communicate without words?"

Her words struck home and an image of Conan-kun and Haibara-san appeared in my mind. _I am such a fool. I never realized that those two..._

My eyes caught a sudden movement and I saw that they were standing up to leave. The older woman left money at the table. She turned to Ayumi-chan and winked, saying, "Ja ne." She walked away, leaving Ayumi-chan staring after her.

I, too left, smiling to myself and thinking of a way to apologize to Conan-kun.

~~~~**CHAPTER 14: SOME CHILDISH CRUSH end**~~~~

**PREVIEW:** You're probably thinking, 'Another useless preview?" but I'm gonna prove you wrong. *clears throat* Now that Mitsuhiko and Ayumi finally understand their feelings, will they be able to patch up their friendship with Conan?

Yes, long chap, I know. To make up for the shortness of the last chapter and because... **I won't be on for 3 whole days...** *sobs* My parents and I are going on a countryside trip to have some so-called 'bonding time.' Sigh...

Oh, to occupy your time, **I have a code for you to solve! **It's not related to the plot but it's related to the story and well, who cares? OK, here goes:

Speel cel iael lel thel anksel todrel ael goel on-zel eel roel xel forhiel shelel pandel supel pel ortel! Ael ndel thanel kel stoel blooel drel edtoel pazel, mel eel andel blel uel ehuel rel ricael neel! threel echel eeel rel sel tothel eperel sonel whel odecoel desel thel isel!

**Leave reviews please! I need something to give me energy when I come back!**


	17. A Jerk Like Me

Sorry for the long wait!!!!! I've got a writer's block... I think... Tell me if this chapter is satisfactory or not, please?

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own DC, but if you think I do, I don't mind. Not at all.

~~~~**CHAPTER 15:** **A JERK LIKE ME**~~~~

"What the hell does Hakase need **these** for?" asked Conan as he dragged two crates of highly volatile material.

Haibara smirked as she walked beside him, holding both their bags which couldn't possibly have weighed half as much as what the bespectacled shounen was carrying. "_You_ were the one who volunteered to come along."

"That still doesn't explain why he needs what feels like ten tons of gunpowder," he retorted.

She shrugged, seemingly uncaring. "It might not explain _why_ but it does mean you have no right to complain."

By this time, they had reached Hakase's house. Conan looked at the crates, estimating their size and said, "I don't think this will fit through the door."

She unlocked the front door and tossed her bag inside, saying, "We're supposed to put it in the garage."

They headed for the empty space where the Professor's Beetle used to be, Haibara leading the way with Conan suffering behind her. She pushed the button that made the garage's door opened and Conan went inside, practically collapsing as he put down his burden.

The miniature chemist walked towards the place where he was lying spread-eagle, breathing hard. She looked down at him as he laid there with his eyes closed.

"I won't be the one to wash your laundry if you keep resting on the pavement, tantei-kun."

His eyelids fluttered open as his breathing steadied. He got up and glared a little at girl beside him and said, "It wouldn't hurt you to be grateful for once, you know?"

"Ara, is that so?" she replied with her trademark smirk.

He narrowed his eyes at her and said, "Yes, that's so."

For a short moment, there was a small smile on her features. She lowered her voice to a whisper and said, "Arigatou, Shinichi," before pressing her lips against his cheeks.

_Eh? _went his mind and before he could even react, she pulled away, flashing the smirk that instantly replaced her smile before walking away.

The shrunken detective could only look at her retreating back, his hand over the cheek she kissed. If she had looked back, she would have seen the tug on his lips growing wider by the second.

~~~~THE NEXT DAY ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL~CONAN'S POV~~~

_Why is it that whenever something happens between Ai and me, the next day it would seem like nothing happened? _I sighed. _Though she did kiss me yesterday-_

'It was **just** a peck on the cheek,' interrupted the nagging voice, stressing the word 'just'.

I rolled my eyes. _Fine. Though she gave me a peck on the cheek, she-_

'Why are you complaining? Didn't you want your love story development to happen on that garden rooftop restaurant?'

_Can't you let me think in peace for once?_

'If I did, where's the fun in that?' it replied, its tone scorning me.

_Whatever, _I thought, giving up on the idea of thinking about yesterday. Instead, I turned my thoughts on how to win an argument against the voice when something burst me out of my bubble.

"Ohayou Conan-kun, Ai-chan!" called a cheery voice. It was a voice I knew all too well. It belonged to the girl I rejected less than twenty-four hours ago.

"Ohayou," the girl beside me immediately replied, as she usually did. She was acting as if all the confessions, the tension, the rumors didn't exist. As if this was just a usual day and she was saying good morning to her friend.

I turned to the owner of the voice, saw her smile, and understood that everything was alright now. No grudges, no nothing. Just the friendship we used to have before, maybe even stronger. _Whoever helped her must be a miracle-worker._

'I hate to say I told you so,' said the nagging voice, 'But I told you so.'

_Hai, hai, _I conceded, a small smile tugging at my lips. Though I was constantly arguing with it, I had gotten quite used to that annoying voice. It reminded me a little bit of Haibara.

I turned to the real twelve-year-old and greeted her. "Ohayou, Ayumi-chan."

She stepped a bit closer to me and whispered, "Gambatte (do your best), Conan-kun." She then addressed both of us, saying "I'm supposed to feed the rabbits today. Ja ne!" before running ahead.

_Arigatou, Ayumi-chan. It seems you've accepted me and..._

"Gambatte with what?" Haibara asked as she looked at me with mild interest.

"What?" was my initial reaction. Then came reddening of my cheeks and ears. I stuttered a bunch of nonsense before I was able to say, "N-n-nothing!"

~~~~TEITAN ELEMENTARY GATES~MITSUHIKO'S POV~~~~

_This is it, _I thought, _This is the time for me to apologize to Conan-kun._

I was, I guess, excited. This my chance to patch up my friendship with Conan, and being who he is, I was pretty sure he would forgive me. But something bothered me, there was a hidden fear in my heart that I was only beginning to acknowledge.

The Conan I knew before would smile and dismiss everything I've done with a smile and an 'It's okay,' but somehow, without me noticing, he's changed. He was not the Conan I knew five years ago. I can't really explain how or why, just that things were different from how they were before.

What I've done probably scarred our friendship forever and that made me falter, even just a little. But I've already decided that no matter what happens, I have to apologize. It was my duty, as a man, and as a friend.

The night before, I had written a speech of what I would say. It was long, it would probably take about five minutes to say it all, with the word 'sorry' appearing every seven seconds. I even memorized it, practicing in front of the mirror.

Waiting for him by the gate, I repeated the lines in my mind, not wanting to slip up and make a mistake. I wasn't even half-way through when I saw the familiar dark brown hair beside Haibara-san's in the distance. He was blushing and the reddish-brown haired girl had on an amused expression.

I took a deep breath and when he was close enough, I blocked his path and said, "Conan-kun."

Conan stood there awkwardly, not really meeting my eyes. "What do you want, Mitsuhiko?"

Haibara-san raised her eyebrow then shrugged. "I'm going ahead," she said, leaving the two of us.

I was thinking why he was being so awkward when my mind clicked. _What am I doing? If I talk to him like this, he'll think I'm trying to start another fight! Yikes! But I can't restart now, I gotta-  
_

I opened my mouth, got ready to recite my 5-minute long speech, when my mind suddenly went blank. I had forgotten every word.

Moments passed and finally Conan looked at me. "If you've got nothing to say, then I'm gonna go now," he said. He waited for a response. Ten, twenty seconds. Getting none, he shrugged and side-stepped me.

I turned and saw him walking away. Each step he took echoed in my ears, making me panic. _No! At this rate, Conan-kun would NEVER forgive me!_

"I'm sorry!" I shouted to his back. I trashed my speech and just said what popped into my mind. "I'm sorry! Everything was my fault! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had to kiss Haibara-san in front of everybody! If it weren't for me, nobody would know that Ayumi-chan cried when she confessed! If it weren't for me, things wouldn't have turned out like this!"

I said it all in one big breath, but it seems it got his attention and he turned back to me. Now I was panting, and I was scared to hear what he would say, but I forced myself to look at his face. I wanted him to know I was serious. "I'm sorry," I repeated.

His face was emotionless for a while, and I waited in suspense. A few moments passed and his eyes softened. I sighed in relief, a load lifted from my heart.

Silence reigned. Though I knew I've been forgiven, I wasn't sure if our friendship was still intact. I decided to ask.

"So ummm... are we still friends?"

Conan was smiling, the same cocky grin he had from five years ago. He said, "If you don't mind being with a jerk like me."

My eyes widened a bit, but I immediately smiled back. I stepped closer to him, held out my hand and replied,

"If it's okay with you being with a wimp like me."

~~~~**CHAPTER 15: A JERK LIKE ME end**~~~~

**Review please**! You guys are reading this, the fruit of my labor but some of you don't even bother to review... That kinda hurts my pride... *pouts*

haha ^_^ Anyway, **here's the solution for the code in the last chap**. You remove the **el** from the end of each word (?) and line the remaining letters. Then you split it up into words that make sense. So, here's the answer:

Special thanks to dragoon-zerox for his help and support! And thanks to Blood Red Topaz, ME and Blue Hurricane! Three cheers to the person who decodes this!

And since somebody actually solved it, three cheers! HIP hip hooray! hip HIP hooray! hip hip HOORAY!

**starcalista:** OMG, how did you know!?!?! You also read Deltora Quest?

**Digital Ree**: Thanks for the support! Glad you like my work. *grin*


	18. Can You Do It?

Second to the last chapter**. **But the first half's not that great... I've got writer's block piled on top of each other.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own DC. (I'm getting tired of writing disclaimers...)

Note: In Yukiko's response, down there, I cut the english translation so that you can discern between the words.  
Note 2: It's actually **kokuhaku (confession)**. No ~'s.  
Note 3: Doki doki is an onomatopoeia for heartbeat.

~~~~**CHAPTER 16: CAN YOU DO IT?**~CONAN'S POV~~~~

"You seem pretty happy," commented my blue green-eyed seatmate.

I grinned at her. "Why shouldn't I be? Ayumi's not mad anymore and Mitsuhiko's acting normal." I blushed a little, dropping my gaze to my desk and whispered, "Just one thing left and everything'd be perfect."

"What's that one thing?"

"Wha-" was all I got out as I looked up and saw that her arms were on my desk, her face inches from mine. I leaned backward in my chair, trying to move away and hide my embarrassment and lost my balance.

"Itai!" I exclaimed as my butt made contact with the floor.

She offered her hand to help me up, asking "Daijoubu? (who doesn't know what this means?)"

I reached out to take her hand, but before I even touched it, my heart threatened to burst out of my chest. I got up by myself, earning a questioning look from her.

Seeing that she was about to ask why, I decided to change the topic. My eyes caught Mitsuhiko trying to arrange his books in haste. "Oi, Mitsuhiko!" I called out, "What's the rush?"

"Ah, Conan-kun," he said, having managed to stuff his books in his bag. He smiled at me, a smile very similar to Genta's. "Taisho has an all-you-can-eat campaign today!"

"Mitsuhiko, hurry up! It ends at four!" shouted an impatient, pudgy boy from the doorway.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he replied, running over. "So anyway, Conan-kun, we have to go. Ja ne!" The two of them rushed off, Genta waving his goodbye. I scanned the room and saw Ayumi, also in a rush.

"Ayumi-chan, what's up?"

She glanced at me. "Okaa-san told me to hurry home. Ja ne, Conan-kun!" She headed for the door and left, disappearing from view.

_They've changed... _I admired them for a moment. _But now, this means I gotta go home with Ai ALONE! We'll be alone together! Oh, God... I'm gonna confess to her tomorrow... How am I supposed to deal with this?_

"Conan? Is something wrong?"

"Eh?" My head turned in her direction. She already had her bag ready and it seemed like she was just waiting for me.

I told myself not to blush and picked up my bag. "N-nothing's wrong. Let's go home."

~~~~AGASA'S HOUSE~~~~

The walk home had been uneventful. We didn't talk, but then again, she wasn't really the type to say much. I was thankful for that. With the big day coming, I don't think I could have kept up a decent conversation with her.

I entered my bedroom, surprised to find a piece of paper lying on my bed. I approached it carefully. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that it came from a certain actress who retired at the age of twenty.

I picked it up, my eyes scanning over the words. My eyes widened and a real smile replaced it.

I ran out of my room and clambered down the stairs. In my haste, I dropped the note and it fluttered to the floor. It read:

Shin-chan,

I just saw a dress that would look **perfect** on Ai-chan! You'll fall in love with her all over again! I thought you might want her to wear it for tomorrow's ko~ku~ha~ku~!

Get her to drop by tomorrow. I'll even fix her hair, just for you. You better be grateful!

Night Baronness

Catching sight of her reddish brown hair, I entered the kitchen where she was preparing dinner. My heart started beating like mad, but I willed myself to stay calm. "Ne, Ai..." I started, not sure if I should ask.

She had her attention focused on the vegetables she was cutting. "What is it?"

"About tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow?" she asked. She stopped cutting, looked at me curiously. Then she smirked as she remembered. "Oh, you mean the dinner with egotistical, cocky, selfish Shinichi Kudo to pay for kissing me in front of the whole class?"

I looked down in an attempt to hide the blush on my face. "You didn't have to put it that way..."

She put down the knife and walked closer to me. "Why not? It's the truth, isn't it?"

"L-listen," I said, before she could get any closer and make me stutter like an idiot. "My mom got a dress that she said would look great on you so I thought you might want to wear it for tomorrow."

She stopped in mid-step, raising an eyebrow. "And why would I want to wear a dress for tomorrow?"

"W-Well, because we're going to a classy restaurant and, you know, to fit the atmosphere." I paused. "Come on, please? Don't make this any harder for me..."

She had a Look on her face. One that said she wanted to keep torturing me but it immediately vanished, replaced by the normal emotionless expression she always had. "Why not?" she said, shrugging.

I instantly brightened. "Really? Great! Then tomorrow, after school, you'll go to my house to get changed okay?"

"Whatever," she replied, going back to cutting vegetables. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes."

~~~~AFTER DINNER~~~~

"Shin-chan," that ever-annoying voice called out, "There's something I want to show you!" Its owner appeared by the door frame, her smile sending chills down my spine.

"What do you want?" I asked in a voice that said 'I'm grateful for what you've done but I don't know what you're here for and I want you to go away' as I put the last of the plates I was washing in the drawer.

"I just told you Shin-chan. There's something I want to show you," she said as she waved an envelope in my face. She stopped bothering me for a moment and turned to Haibara.

"Don't worry about playing host, Ai-chan. I'm just here to pick up Shin-chan."

Haibara looked at my mom, nodded a little and said, "Oyasuminasai." (you guys already know what this is, right?)

The loud obaa-san beside me smiled back and replied, "Oyasuminasai, Ai-chan," before dragging me out of Hakase's and into our house.

I pulled away from her, not bothering to hide my irritation. "Whatever it is, hurry it up," I said, removing my glasses and wiping them with my shirt.

"Aren't you even going to say 'arigatou?'"

I inspected her through narrowed eyes, then sighed. "Fine," I said, trying to sound as sincere as possible, "Arigatou."

"Do itashi mashite (you're welcome), atashi no (my) kawaii (cute) musuko (son)."

I put down my spectacles on the table and asked, "So? Is that all you want from me?"

She grinned, in a mysterious way that sent chills down the chills down my spine (no, this is not a typo). She opened the envelope she was holding, spilling its contents on the table. "I thought you might want this," she said.

I picked up one of the pieces of paper that came from the envelope. I realized it was a photo. I turned it around so that the side with the picture faced me, and instantly turned three shades of red.

"Wh-what the hell is this!?!?" I shouted. The pictures were all of me and Haibara. One was the time I cried in the rain. Another was of yesterday, when Haibara kissed me in the garage. The other was...

"Maa, maa, calm down." A teasing tone entered her voice. "You don't want it?" She flapped one of the pictures in front of my face.

"It's not that I don't want it..." My blush deepened and I avoided her eyes. Then I regained my indignant pose and faced her, ignoring the fact that my face was burning. "Why the hell do you have these!?"

She looked at me innocently. "Didn't you notice, Shin-chan? I asked Agasa-hakase to install hidden cameras all over his house."

An image of me and Haibara on my bed flashed through my mind. "Wh-what about my bedroom!?" I asked, panicked.

"There's one there too, of course," was her immediate reply.

I dropped the photo I was holding and just stared at her, not knowing what to do anymore. A minute passed... two. Then she winked at me. "Just kidding."

I blinked, once, twice. Then all my pent-up frustration burst out. "WHAT!?!?!"

She put her hands on her hips. "I'm not some nosy old lady with no morale, Shin-chan."

_That's **exactly** what you are, Goddammit. _She continued talking, not aware of my thoughts. "I respect my son's privacy. I won't go poking around in places I know I shouldn't. Of course there's no camera in the bedrooms and bathrooms."

I heaved a deep sigh and relaxed. She collected the pictures that had scattered on the table and stuffed them back into the envelope. Silence reigned for a while.

"Can you do it?" my mom asked, serious this time.

I narrowed my eyes at her, still wary, and uncertain about this sudden change of topic. "Do what?"

"Kokuhaku, Shin-chan. Kokuhaku," she answered, hiding the envelope in the drawer.

My face must have said 'Huh?' because she immediately took my eyeglasses from the table. "Do you really think you can say..." She lowered her voice to match mine, putting on my glasses and said, "I love you, Ai." Then she removed it, regaining her normal tone, "Without looking like a bumbling fool?"

I stared at her for a moment. "I love you," I blurted out, my eyes fixed on hers.

My mother stared at me, seemingly surprised by my revelation. Then a smile spread on her lips and she hugged me, kneeling down to my height. "Shin-chan! I've waited twenty-two years for you to tell me that!"

I flailed my arms, struggling from her grip. "That's not what I meant, baka!"

She pulled away, her arms still on my shoulders. "It's not?" she asked, her tears starting to pool in her eyes filled with disappointment.

_There's that actress face again... _I glared at her. "Well, obviously not! **You** were the one who first started saying if I could confess to Ai!"

"But Shin-chan, you were the one who told me you loved me!"

"I only said that to practice for tomorrow!"

"Does that even matter? You confessed your love for me!"

"What's the problem?" a voice suddenly asked, interrupting our shouting session. Our heads turned in the direction of the voice, and there by the front door, was the famous mystery novelist, Yuusaku Kudo.

"Yuu-chan!" exclaimed my mom, immediately rushing to his side. She shot him that intensely hurt actress look and said pitifully, "Shin-chan's denying that he loves me..."

My father got into the act as soon as he heard this. He gave me a stern gaze that said 'how **dare** you steal my wife' and put his hand on her cheek, angling her head so that it fully faced him. "You don't need someone like him, Yukiko. You have me."

"Yuu-chan..." she whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. Then she pulled away, hiding her face from him but making sure that I can see it. "I-I can't. I don't deserve you, Yuu-chan. Not after... Not after loving Shin-chan as well... I don't deserve someone like you."

He put a hand on her shoulder, gently persuading her to face him. "Yukiko..." he started in a voice full of emotion.

"Don't worry about it," he said, and she finally turned around, a tear sliding down her cheek. He wiped it with his thumb. "Nothing that you've ever done before counts. The only thing that matters is that we're together."

"Yuu-chan..." she whispered again, her lips dangerously near his.

"Cut the crap, will you?" I intervened. Since I had interrupted their little 'play,' I had thought they would be mad at me, but they faced me with grins so big, I thought it would split their faces.

"It's not crap, Shinichi. We're being serious," my dad said.

"That's right," my mom added, "We're showing you how to properly convey your feelings."

They had separated (thank god) and both of them had sat down on the sofa. "Hmmm..." my mother started with a thoughtful look on her face. "But I do think that when confessing, you should at least give her a red rose. Then, remove your glasses and make sure not to let go of her gaze and say," She struck a pose. "I love you, in this world, more than anything else."

"I beg to disagree," my father said, his hand cupping his chin. "I believe that a confession should be done during a do-or-die situation. One where you say it before a near-death experience. That will make it more memorable and it will give you the chance to say, 'If I could be with you, I don't mind going to heaven.'"

"Then why," she asked, pouting, "didn't you arrange a life-threatening situation for us when you confessed to me?"

_Oi, oi. You actually want something like that?_ I gave them a skeptical look as they kept talking about the most romantic way to confess (each one more extreme than the last). "I'm leaving," I announced after listening to them for a whole five minutes.

They ignored me and kept on talking as I made my way towards the door. I closed the front door behind me and walked towards Hakase's hoping that Haibara hasn't locked the door yet.

It was open. I bolted the locks and climbed the stairs to my room. Finally I flopped down on my bed and allowed myself a small smile. _Those two... They just wanted to help me relax..._

"Arigatou, Otou-san... Okaa-san..." I whispered to the darkness.

~~~~SOMEWHERE IN THE KUDO HOUSEHOLD~AUTHOR'S POV~~~~

A feminine voice said, "When I wrote that note to tell him to get Ai-chan here tomorrow, I didn't think he would be so blunt about it."

"Did you think he'd just lead her here without telling her about the dress?" a deeper voice asked, male most probably.

"That's what he would've done before." The woman shrugged. "Anyway, I told Shin-chan that we installed hidden camera's all over the Professor's house."

"And I suppose he asked if there was one in his bedroom?"

"That was the first thing he asked when he found out. I wonder why," the woman mused out loud, though she clearly knew the reason.

The man cleared his throat and was about to reply when a different voice spoke, a bit high-pitched, like it came from a boy whose voice hasn't yet matured. "Arigatou, Otou-san... Okaa-san..."

The two shadowy figures smiled at each other.

"I guess it's a good thing you didn't tell him about the listening device," commented the owner of the deep voice. "By the way, have you contacted the Professor yet?"

~~~~**CHAPTER 16: CAN YOU DO IT? end**~~~~

**PREVIEW:** It's the big day! Conan confesses to Haibara. Here goes:

I gazed at eyes, trying to see if she had any premonition of what I was about to say. But her eyes betrayed nothing, her expression still unreadable.

I took a deep breath, and told her the three little words that meant so much.

"I love you."

**How will the girl with the poker face react? ****And what are the two figures plotting? Why did they have to contact the Professor? Find out!**

Sigh... **The next one's the last...** I hope everybody sticks around to find out the ending...** Review please!**


	19. You Don't Like Me, You Love Me

**Disclaimer: **Look at the past eighteen chapters and you'll know.

Well, this is it everyone! The final chapter! The end, finally. One week of ConanAi written in one month. haha ^_^

Last note: I couldn't think of anything to describe how Haibara looked... I'm not good with descriptions like what she wore, how's her hairstyle etc etc etc, so just be satisfied with this, okay?

~~~~**FINAL CHAPTER: YOU DON'T LIKE ME, YOU LOVE ME**~~~~

_This is it, _I thought, as I waited for Haibara to finish dressing up. I had worn a suit, my mom forced me. She didn't even have to, I would've worn something formal anyway.

I sat on the sofa at our house, my thoughts on the girl who had disappeared behind the door with the promise of coming back looking like nothing I'd ever seen before. _Haha... Trust my mother to make promises like that, _I thought, trying to distract myself.

The day had gone by uneventfully, the sun had been shining. I took that as a good sign. Even Mitsuhiko and Ayumi had wished me the best of luck before we parted by the school gates. Genta, clueless as usual, asked, "Huh? Is Conan gonna enter a contest or something?" We had all laughed, except Haibara, and Mitsuhiko told him, "Genta-kun, you're as slow as usual."

"Ta-dah!"

The voice snapped me out of my thoughts. My head turned in the direction it came from. Seeing only my mother, I frowned and said, "Where's Haibara?"

She grinned mischievously at me. "Have you got your heart under control, Shin-chan?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Stop it with the jokes. Where's Haibara?"

She winked at me, mouthed 'good luck.' She stepped aside to reveal Haibara standing behind her. I stared at her. For a long time. She looked so beautiful I couldn't express it in words.

"You look like you've got something to say, tantei-kun," she commented.

I forced my gaze off her. My mom was smiling in the background, that 'I told you so' smile that used to annoy me. At that moment, I just ignored her and walked towards Haibara, avoiding her gaze, and offered my hand. She seemed surprised for a moment, but she took it with a small smile. I led her outside where a taxi called by my mother was waiting.

~~~~FAST FORWARD~~~~

I was so nervous, I don't even what happened in the taxi. I don't even remember what we ate. My memory started after dinner, when I told her I had something important to say. We climbed the stairs to the rooftop garden, her hand in mine. As we reached the top, I let go of her, walking towards the railing and off the pavement.

I could hear her footsteps behind me, stopping before they even reached the grass. She was waiting for me to speak.

Turning to face her, I gazed at eyes, trying to see if she had any premonition of what I was about to say. But her eyes betrayed nothing, her expression still unreadable.

I took a deep breath, and told her the three little words that meant so much.

"I love you."

She stiffened a little. I detected that faint movement, and for a moment, I could've sworn there was a faint blush on her face. But it disappeared as soon as my eyes caught sight of it.

Silence reigned. I knew she had heard my confession, her stiffening confirmed that. I decided to repeat the words anyway. "I said I love you," I told her clearly, my voice carrying echoing in the night.

She seemed to have regained her composure. She started walking the distance toward me saying, "Ara, is that so?" in the same voice she used whenever she was teasing me.

I blushed. Not because of what I was gonna say, but more like, my body had an automatic reaction when hearing that tone. I tried to keep calm, not wanting to ruin anything. "Yes, that's so." I took another deep breath, and slowly removed my glasses, bowing my head to hide my face.

"And I believe that you feel the same way."

Her steps ceased, and she raised her eyebrow at me. The expression she had on was slightly teasing, slightly amused, yet still slightly indifferent. But, if you looked closer, you can see a hint of interest, a hint of hope. "And why would that be, tantei-kun?" she asked.

"Do you remember the time I asked if you liked me?" I said, answering her question with a question.

"What about it?" Her steps started again.

"Your answer was, 'Don't flatter yourself,'" I replied.

"And?" Her steps were getting closer.

I looked up, meeting her gaze squarely. "You didn't say no."

She smirked, the familiar tug on her lips that always seemed to ridicule me. "So I didn't," she said.

"That means there is a possibility that you liked me back," I stated clearly.

She didn't respond. She just kept walking, taking step after step. As the silence between us stretched, my mother's words echoed through my head. _Don't flatter yourself... Isn't exactly a no is it? And even if it were, think about it. _Her words calmed me and propelled me to continue.

"And even if you were to say no, that would've only meant one of two things." I held up a finger. "One, you don't feel anything for me."

She raised the other eyebrow. "And two?"

I raised another finger. "You don't like me," I said gently. My hand dropped to my side. My eyes softened and a faint smile formed on my lips. "You love me."

She stopped, just a few centimeters away from me. Despite my words, the smirk on her face had widened and she said, "Arrogant words coming from an arrogant detective."

"They're true anyway," I immediately retorted, in the same I always did whenever she taunted me. I expected her to snap back at me, to tease me like she did before, but she did none of the sort.

Another lengthy silence. Her face had receded to an unreadable expression. Her actions caused me to doubt myself. Just a few moments ago, I was one hundred percent sure that what I had say would be true, but her lack of reaction made me think otherwise.

"They're true anyway," I repeated, more to myself than to her. Then in a whisper, "Right?"

My eyes never left her face, looking for a sign that I was right, but she remained impassive. Seconds passed, six... seven.

"The great detective finally solves the case," she said before she taking the last step, pressing those tender lips against mine.

_What..? _was my first thought, and I was too surprised to respond. _The great detective finally solves the case. _I repeated her words in my mind, and only then did I understand.

I smiled, wrapping my arms around her neck to draw her closer. I was about to close my eyes, when light suddenly flashed in the background, a bang accompanying it.

Our lips broke apart at the sudden sound, but my arms didn't let her go. Our heads turned in the direction of the light.

Fireworks. _Is there any celebration today?_ I was gonna voice my thoughts when they formed a word. Two words. A name, in fact. They spelled:

哀 江戸川

Ai Edogawa

~~~~A FEW MINUTES EARLIER SOMEWHERE ELSE~AUTHOR'S POV~~~~

"Hakase, is it ready yet?" Yukiko asked impatiently. "They're about to get to the good part."

Agasa-hakase, who came back from the convention a day earlier and had stayed over at the Kudo's, didn't look up from his latest 'invention.' "Just a little more, Yukiko-kun. I'm almost done."

She was looking at the monitors connected to the video cameras set up all over the restaurant and rooftop garden. "Oh my God! He's about to confess! Go, Shin-chan! Go!" she cheered.

Hakase laughed a little at her enthusiasm. "Do you really think he'll appreciate what you're doing, Yukiko-kun?" he asked.

She grinned, a grin that could crack her beautiful actress face into two. "What he doesn't know can't hurt him, Hakase."

He matched her grin, walking towards her full of soot. "I'm done with preparations. Tell me when, okay?" He was holding a remote control with only one red button.

Words were transmitted from the rooftop to the speaker. "The great detective finally solves the case."

"When Hakase! When!"

~~~~ROOFTOP GARDEN~CONAN'S POV~~~~

Haibara was looking at me again with that amused expression. But this time, mixed with the amusement was gratitude, and on those soft lips that had been on mine just a second ago, was a real smile. On the tip of her tongue were the words 'Thank you.'

I put my finger on her lips, silencing her. Her eyes widened, asking me, 'Why?'

"As much as I would like to take credit for it, this wasn't my idea."

The light burning up the sky had receded to smoke. The words were gone, but they had been engraved in my heart.

"In fact, I haven't even heard about anything like this."

One of my hands slipped from around her neck to cup my chin. "I suppose it was my mom's idea. She was looking kind of excited a while ago, but I didn't pay much attention to her. She probably worked with the Professor. That would explain the gunpowder. He probably got back earlier on to-"

I was cut off by the feeling of her lips locking with mine. It only lasted for a few seconds before she pulled away. She looked at me in the eyes. Her mask had completely fallen off. The girl I could see now was the true Haibara Ai.

She whispered, "Just shut up and kiss me."

I gladly obliged. My right hand caressed her cheek gently, the other snaking around her waist. I kept my hold on her which, I hoped, would last longer than the fire in the sky.

~~~~**FINAL CHAPTER: end**~~~~

Did it make you laugh? Make you cry? Make you want to smash your monitor and scream like a chimpanzee? Tell me your thoughts! **Review please!**

Okay, so the ending sucked. haha ^_^ Anyway...

Please participate in my **poll** and look forward to a **sequel** and my new fic, '**The Playboy**' featuring Shinichi, Shiho and Kaito. An unusual love triangle!

Thanks to everyone who helped me, reviewed and stuck around to see the ending. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed uhhh... staring at the monitor waiting for the words to type themselves on the screen. haha ^_^

Special thanks to the characters who let me do what I wanted with them:

**Haibara Ai**. You are the Goddess of my life and I hope everybody else thinks so, too. I'm glad you had the happy ending you deserved (even if it's only in my fic). After all, the ones who deserve happiness are the ones who dwell in sadness.

**Edogawa Conan**. So you were a little OC... Sorry 'bout that. Take care of my beloved Ai, okay?

**Kudo Yukiko. **Sigh... You are such a nosy old la- I mean, young and youthful (doesn't that mean the same thing?). I guess recording _everything_ wouldn't be such a bad idea, if only the everything didn't include the- well, you know what I mean.

**Shounen Tantei**. I guess they're not as annoying as I thought. They've grown up a bit, especially Genta. haha ^_^

**Kudo Yuusaku, Agasa Hiroshi, Kobayashi-sensei. **Thanks for appearing in my fic!

Okay, is that everyone? Oh, wait! I forgot someone!

**Mouri Ran.** Ummm... Thanks for letting Shinichi go? And ummm... helping him with the Koi wa nani? question and the rejection for Ayumi.

So I'm a little hard on her, can you blame me? I'm a die-hard Haibara fan...

Ja ne! signed ~roankun~


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